


Irony Man

by Jem_Vesper



Series: Avengers Watch The MCU [1]
Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Avengers watch the MCU, Fix-It, Iron Man 1, Peter Parker is a Good Bro, Pre-Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie), There's going to be weird tension, They're not okay yet but will be soon, Tony Stark Acting as Peter Parker's Parental Figure, Tony Stark Has A Heart, avengers watch iron man, kind of
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-27
Updated: 2019-08-19
Packaged: 2020-02-08 12:51:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 43,163
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18623656
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jem_Vesper/pseuds/Jem_Vesper
Summary: The Avengers and co. watch the first Iron Man movie.





	1. Iron Man

Tony Stark had been having the best night of his life.

He had made pasta using his mother’s recipe. He had never touched her cooking book since she had died but he had the sudden urge to grab the leatherbound book and make pasta. There were dozens of Italian recipes, things Tony remembered having but couldn’t bear to make so he had gone simple.

Pasta.

He supposed the biggest reason he had wanted to use her cookbook was that he was having a family dinner. He had known his family had consisted of three people these days: Pepper, Rhodey, Peter, and May - though Peter’s aunt was at work at the moment.

Today would be the first family dinner where all of them would be here.

Peter was only allowed in the Tower on Fridays through the weekend. Pepper came in during her breaks and it happened to be her break today on Friday. Rhodey had been given a vacation day and Tony? Everyone had bullied him out of the labs to cook.

They had all been together many times but today would be the first time they would be having dinner together.

“Then May went into the shop, right?” Peter laughed. “Ned was working there at the time and she was complaining about her lawnmower. Ned was freaking out and then she realised it was Ned and they both freaked out.”

“You live in an apartment, why would she even need a lawnmower?” Pepper asked.

“I have no idea? Something about ravioli.” Peter shrugged.

“Dear lord, how did you survive with her cooking?” Rhodey asked.

“Takeout.”

“I see why we both get along.” Tony grinned.

“Nah, I don’t think that’s why.” Pepper grinned.

“I think it’s because you’re both _nerds_ ,” Rhodey added.

“I take no offence to that.” Peter and Tony said in unison.

They were both wearing matching t-shirts saying ‘Peter Borker’ with a puppy under it. They weren’t the usual science puns but it brought out the same reactions from everyone: Peter giggling, Tony being exasperated, Pepper being sweet but secretly either hating or loving it, Rhodey would love them if they weren’t science puns.

Before anyone of them could speak, Rhodey’s head hit the table. Tony watched as his best friend’s head landed with a thunk and everyone one went to him. Tony shook him but the man would not wake up and before he knew it, Pepper had mirrored Rhodey by falling asleep and not waking up.

“Mr. Stark? I think I should go to bed…” Peter murmured and Tony whipped his head around fast enough to see the boy crumple. Tony wasn’t fast enough to catch him, his movements were sluggish, and his own eyes filled with sleep.

✤✤✤

Peter woke up sitting in a foreign room.

His senses screamed at him that there was something dangerous but as he looked around, there were bodies.

For a moment, he thought he was surrounded by the dead.

The scream died in his throat as shock took over when one body sat up. The figure rubbed at his eyes and Peter honestly thought that they were a zombie.

So he hit them on the head.

“Pete, seriously, why did you do that so hard? You have fucking super strength!”

“Mr. Stark?” Peter’s eyes widened. “Holy crap, I thought you were a zombie!”

“ _Why?_ ”

“Gee, I wonder, I guess all these bodies mean nothing,” Peter mumbled.

“Holy shit, why is she green?” Tony looked at a woman with violet hair and green skin.

“What do we do now? Wake them up or find a way out?” Peter asked.

“You wake them up. Most of these people hate me and don’t know you. I’ll go find a way out.” Tony said after looking around.

“No, I’ll help you. If they saw a stranger, they’d think I kidnapped them.” Peter said.

“The question is, who kidnapped us?” Tony asked.

Peter walked alongside his father-figure as they walked around the cavernous room. At the front, there was a large screen taking up the expanse of the wall whilst the three other walls were blank. The lighting was dim like a dying heart and there were no doors.

“Petey, try and find out if the walls are hollow,” Tony said as he decided to start knocking on the walls.

The knocking must have broken through the sleeping beings’ minds as they slowly all woke up. There were a few groans but Peter was too busy knocking on the walls to care.

“Peter? What are you doing?” Pepper asked.

“Tony, have you cracked?” Rhodey groaned.

“Who are all of you?” A man with ginger hair asked. “And where’s my gun?”

“Peter, can you stop fussing about?” The green woman asked.

“I’m actually trying to find a way out,” Peter said from where he was knocking on the door.

“She was talking to me, dipshit.” The ginger said.

“My GPS isn’t working.” Vision said which earned a very confused look from Tony.

“Petey, there’s no hollow walls. Try to hit the wall with all your strength.” Tony said.

Peter fisted his hands and struck the walls. There were no cracks. Peter looked at Tony, alarmed, and the billionaire had the same look.

“Rogers, hit the wall with Peter,” Tony said numbly

“ _He’s_ here?” Peter groaned.

“Play nice,” Tony smirked at the young boy.

Peter watched with uncertain eyes as the blond superhero walked next to Peter. His eyes were as blue as ever and Peter had the urge to mention they looked like the ice he had been trapped in. He kept it back. Peter was a polite boy and Tony had also told him to stand down.

“I don’t understand why he has to do it, too," Steve said about Peter to Bucky. Tony had moved in front of Peter and the teenager understood why. Peter instead moved to stand next to Tony and held his hand firmly.

“Is he helping as well?” Peter asked about Bucky.

“Sure is, he’s enhanced.” Tony shrugged.

Silence fell as all three of them took position to strike the wall and they did just that however there were no cracks through the room did shake under the impact.

“What are we meant to do now?” Bruce asked and Peter watched as his father-figure’s eyes brightened at the sight of him. “Nice to see you, Tony.”

“It’s always nice to see me,” Tony dismissed it quickly. “But it’s amazing to see _you_. Where have you been?”

“You know...space?” Bruce answered vaguely.

“Holy crap you’re Bruce Banner! I love your work on radioactivity!” Peter gushed at the sight of the scientist. “You’re my second favourite.”

“First is me,” Tony said smugly.

“Who are all of you?” said one alien with antennas.

“We’re the Avengers, man,” Peter said.

“No, we’re the Avengers and some children.” Tony corrected.

“Are you the child?” Natasha asked Tony.

“Can I have your arm?” A racoon asked Bucky.

“Quiet!” Steve said in his authoritative voice. Peter noted Tony bristling at it but the billionaire remained silent. “Before we all introduce each other, get into groups with the people you know or trust.”

Peter quickly took a step into Tony’s direction along with Pepper and Rhodey. Peter realised how tense Tony was, that no one else came to him but it made Peter realise that these were the people he could trust at the moment.

Peter watched as the rest grouped together. Bruce stayed with Thor, Peter understood why since Bruce had been away for two years and didn’t know if he would be welcomed. Natasha, Sam, Scott, Bucky, Vision, Clint, and Wanda grouped with Steve. The blond looked at Tony with hard eyes as if he couldn’t believe that Tony wouldn't walk to him. Two similar looking people- siblings? - grouped together and the rest were in a circle.

“We’re the guardians of the galaxy.” Said the green-skinned woman. “I’m Gamora, this is Drax, Mantis, Groot, Rocket, and Quill.”

“Tony Stark, member of the Avengers, this is Peter, Pepper, and Rhodey.”

“Steve Rogers, leader of the Avengers, this is Natasha, Sam, Scott, Bucky, Vision, Clint, and Wanda.”

The others in the room must have noticed how far apart Tony and Steve were. It must have been strange, Peter supposed, that two people of the same group were glaring at each other and were standing away.

“T’Challa of Wakanda and this is my sister, Shuri.”

“Thor Odinson and my friend Banner.”

“Bruce.”

“Yes, Bruce.” Thor grinned.

Before any of them could get further into their introductions, the screen lit up.

A movie was playing.

“Sweet. I want to watch Moana.” Peter said as he jumped onto one of the couches.

He grinned when Tony huffed and sat with him along with the other two. They all squished together on the one couch but none of them complained. They all fit together like a jigsaw, no limb out of place or hurting any of them. Tony had his arm around Peter and it also managed to extend around Pepper. Rhodey had lifted his feet and draped it along the three of them. Peter was leaning against Tony whilst Pepper had her arms linked with the teenager.

“We watched that last week and I doubt we’re here to watch _that_ kind of movie,” Tony said.

“Why are you getting comfortable? We should be doing something.” Steve said as everyone but his group sat in their cliques. The guardians sat on a few beanbags whilst Thor sat on a couch with Bruce. T’Challa and Shuri sat on the floor together, looking at the screen like they were children.

“If three enhanced humans can’t break a wall and none of us have our equipment, what can we do?” Pepper asked.

“Three?” Bucky echoed.

“Enhanced humans?” Quill asked.

“If we’re watching a movie, do we get to have snacks?” Peter asked. It was his subtle way of asking if he and the other enhanced people would be okay as they need a lot to eat to sustain their metabolism.

As if on answer, food appeared in Peter’s hands.

“You got your answer there, kiddo.” Tony ruffled his hair.

“I bet he’s Stark’s son,” Clint whispered to Bucky but Peter heard.

“I’m not his son!” Peter said because he didn’t want Tony to be burdened with him. Tony already had enough on his shoulders.

“This technology is cool,” Shuri said. “It’s a bit outdated but nice. It pauses whenever we speak.”

“Like at home? Sweet.” Peter grinned.

Everyone stopped talking after that. Steve’s group found themselves a spot on the two other couches and got comfortable. The screen continued to play the movie. It started off with the normal jazz that Peter was used to but there was something that was different.

“I don’t know any company called Marvel,” Peter said.

“I trust you with that head full of references.” Rhodey murmured.

“I also have nothing on it in my databases.” Vision added which earned much more trustful looks than Peter’s had.

**Rock music starts blaring from the speakers as a scene showing a few vans heading through a deserted land. The caption shows that they are in Afghanistan. The scene shifts inside of one of the vans to show a stereo playing the music.**

“This seems familiar.” Tony murmured which earned him a look.  
  
“You watched this before? Why didn’t you watch it with me?” Peter asked.

“I don’t know what movie it is but it looks…”

“Making you feel deja vu?” Pepper asked.

“Yeah. It said Afghanistan and…” Tony shivered but none of the others noticed except for those on his couch.

“I doubt it’s a movie about that but you can always look away., Rhodey suggested and Tony hummed in agreement.

**A soldier in uniform looks at the back of the van nervously.**

“Oh…” Tony murmured, recognising the man.

**There is a hand holding an alcoholic drink, vodka. It shows Tony Stark in his three-pieced suit and sunglasses protecting his eyes. His famous facial hair is intact as he looks about the interior of the van.**

**“I feel like you’re driving me to a court-martial. This is crazy. What did I do?” Tony asks to ease the mood.**

“Sorry for jinxing it, Mr. Stark,” Peter said. “But how did they get this off you?”

“Tony, are you serious?” Pepper groaned.

“We should be questioning what Peter is saying.” Vision piped up.  
  
“Really?” Quill asked.  
  
“Not you, the other Peter.” Gamora smacked him on the back of the head.

“He’s a Peter?” Peter asked. “Peter-ception.”

**“I feel like you’re going to pull over and snuff me. What? You not allowed to talk?” Silence. “Hey, forest!” Tony called to the man next to him.**

“Forest?” Rocket echoed.

**“We can talk, sir.”**

**“Oh? I see. So it’s personal?” Tony asked as he went to face the window instead of the inhabitants of the van.**

**“No, you intimidate them.” The driver commented.**

**“Good, God. You’re a woman.”**

“That sounded worse than I meant it to be,” Tony commented.

“Yeah, I have to agree.” Pepper nodded.

“So you were always a piece of shit?” Clint asked.

“See, this is what I thought a Stark would be like. But you and your son were a bit more polite now than what this movie is saying.” Scott said.

“I’m not his son.”

“He’s not my son.”

“Is Peter in the movie?” Bruce asked.

“Gee, no, I wish, though. I would want to be there to help him out. I was actually being scared out of my mind.” Peter said.

“Awe.” Rhodey teased.

“Don’t act like you weren’t scared, either,” Pepper said to Rhodey.

“Yeah? You were crying.” Rhodey mocked.

“You locked yourself in your room!” Pepper quipped.

“Well, I refused to go to school and fought everyone that said Tony was dead!” Peter said, winning the contest,

“How old were you?” Wanda asked.

“Eight.” Peter shrugged.

**“I honestly couldn’t have called that.” Silence. “I mean I’d apologise but isn’t that what we’re going for here? I thought you as a soldier first.”**

“Smooth.” Shuri snorted.

**“I’m an airman.” The woman said.**

**“You have excellent bone structure there,” Tony said, trying to ease the atmosphere.**

“You’re trying your best.” Peter comforted.  
  
“His best could have been better,” Steve said.

“Who says you could talk? We’re watching a movie.” Peter said shortly.

**“I’m kind of having a hard time not looking at you, now,” Tony said nervously. “Is that weird?” That earned a few laughs from soldiers, including the woman. Tony eased in his seat, sensing that it would no longer be so tense. “Come on! It’s okay, laugh.”**

**“Sir, I have a question.” One soldier asked. This soldier had been repeatedly seen looking at the billionaire nervously. It seems he has finally built up the nerves to speak.**

**“Yes, please,” Tony said.**

**“Is it true you went twelve for twelve with last year’s Maxim cover models?”**

**“That is an excellent question,” Tony said as he removed his glasses. “Yes and no. March and I had a scheduling conflict but fortunately, the Christmas cover was twins.”**

“You are on thin ice,” Pepper said.

“I’ve changed,” Tony said and Pepper nodded.

“That’s debatable.” Clint shrugged.

**“Anything else?” Tony asked around. One soldier raised his hand shyly. “You’re kidding me with the hands up, right.”**

“You couldn’t have been more polite?” Steve inquired.

**“Is it okay if I take a picture with you?”**

**“Yes,” Tony said. “It’s very cool.”**

**The soldier smiles and hands over a camera to the soldier at the front. Tony leans in to be in frame with the soldier next to him as the soldier raises his two fingers in a peace sign.**

**“I don’t want to see this on your MySpace page,” Tony commented. “Please, no gang signs.”**

**The soldier puts his hand down.**

**“No, throw it up, I’m kidding.”**

“You would be the shit customer in a cafe that changes their order every two seconds, aren’t you?” Shuri asked Tony.

“Believe it or not, he isn’t.” Rhodey laughed.

“It’s Pepper that does that,” Peter said.

“Are we watching your life story?” Quill asked. “Because, no offence, we have better things to be doing.”

“I am Groot.”

“Don’t sass with me.” Rocket sighed.

“You should teach him some manners.” Vision said.

“You understand him?” Drax asked. “I’ve given up long ago.”

“I think it’s in my programming.” Vision explained.

“I, too, understand!” Thor said, giddy. “He said -”

“Language.” Steve interrupted.

“Seriously?” Everyone in the room groaned.

**The soldier held up his peace sign again and had a smile plastered on his face. “Yeah, peace, I love peace,” Tony said conversationally. “I’d be out of the job with peace.”**

“Oh, yeah, _that_ department.” Tony groaned.  
  
“I remembered wishing that you’d get rid of that department,” Peter said.  
  
“So were we,” Rhodey said and pointed to himself and Pepper.

Peter noticed Wanda shifting in her seat. He remembered Tony saying something about one of his weapons getting into someone’s hands after he had stopped the R&D department and they killed her parents. Apparently, Wanda had hated Tony ever since.

Peter was going to make her see sense.

Well, maybe not him since this movie was going to do it for him.

**The soldiers messed about with the camera, saying to hurry up and not to change the settings.**

“Weren’t we in a car with a camera?” Peter asked Tony.

“Yeah, well, what’s going to happen now didn’t happen then,” Tony said and sank into his seat.

He stared at the screen numbly. Peter knew it was Tony’s pride that allowed him to continue looking at the screen. Peter knew about Siberia so he understood why Tony felt the need to prove himself strong in front of Captain America.

Tony’s comment earned odd looks from everyone not on their couch.

**The car blew up.**

“Shit,” Shuri whispered and was earned a smack on the head by her brother.

Rocket whistled lowly which earned a glare from everyone in the room.

**“What’s going on?” Tony asked calmly as the van shook. The soldiers were screaming over him, ignoring him. The woman soldier had a gun in hand as she exited the van. “Jimmy, stay with Stark!” Said the other soldier in the front before leaving. Jimmy was the last soldier with Tony, the one that the billionaire took a photo with.**

**“Lay down!” Jimmy ordered and put his hands on Tony’s shoulders to guide him down. He didn’t stay down.**

“And you say I’m bad with safety,” Peter said, trying to lighten the mood.

“Well, it’s different with you.” Tony shrugged.

“Why is that?”

“You’re -”

“Shut up, we’re watching.” Quill interrupted.

“This is very interesting.” Mantis commented. “And sad. I hope this is not giving you bad feelings.” She said to Tony.

“Like he has any.” Steve scowled.

**Jimmy was leaving the car when Tony said, “Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait.”**

**“Stay here!” Jimmy said through the closed doors.**

**Bullets hit the car, puncturing holes into the metal and glass. Tony looked out the windows in a calm sort of panic, his breathing audible. The scene shows the soldiers falling.**

**Tony gets out of the car.**

“They say stay in and you couldn’t do that?” Pepper sighed.

“I might have a small problem?” Tony said defensively.

**He stumbled as the ground shook, hitting the side of the van. He quickly got stable before running through the wreckage, plumes of smoke filling the air. The billionaire leaps behind a few large rocks just in time as another explosion occurs and bullets could be heard.**

**Tony takes out his phone.**

“Seriously?” Quill asked.

**The phone starts beeping as Tony types. His eyes never leave the phone until a missile lands next to him with the label that belonged to Stark Industries.**

“Irony Man.” Peter snorted. “Sorry,” He said to Tony.

“None taken,” Tony said, accepting it when Peter tried to lighten the mood.

**Tony tucks his phone away before getting to his feet and trying to run away. He didn’t make it as the explosion occurs and sends him flying. He lays on his back as he tries to catch his back, everything about him his dirty. He looks down at his chest to see a few drops of blood but he could feel that the injury is worse. The scene shows the blood seeping into his blue shirt. Tony rips the shirt open, the buttons flying off.**

**The scene fades out with foreign voices.**

**The scene shifts to a sack being taken off of Tony’s head. His face is bloodied and he’s unwashed. There are armed people behind him, brandishing their weapons like trophies. The billionaire blinks against the harsh lighting as the foreign voice continues to speak.**

**There are a few more seconds where Tony almost drifts to sleep before his eyes widen at the sight of the gun. He looks to the side to see men behind a camera. The light was red.**

**The screen zooms out as Tony faces the camera head-on. People with scarves are surrounding him. One is reading from a piece of paper, the source of the voice.**

**Tony Stark, a billionaire, has just been kidnapped by terrorists.**

**The title of the movie comes in with all capital letters and in gold: IRON MAN.**


	2. Will That Be All?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Christine who?

“Is it meant to be symbolic? That this event made you a man made of iron?” Mantis asked Tony.

“You could say that,” Tony said vaguely.

“Do any of you have made up names?” Peter asked around, knowing that most of the room understood what he meant. He felt bad for Mantis, she deserved a proper answer. Peter knew that Tony was trying his best to Peter would make up for it.

“I’m Star Lord?” Quill offered.

“Cool,” Peter grinned. “Iron Man is his made up name. Well, he’s going to make it soon in this movie.”

“So this is his tragic backstory?” Wanda asked dryly.

“I don’t want anyone to think that anyone else’s backstories are worse. They all hit us the same way so don’t dismiss it.” Peter gave Wanda a hard look.

“Right,” She said awkwardly.

“Also, he got hit by his own weapon.” Peter pointed out. “You might think that Tony killed your parents but he didn’t fire those weapons, did he? He stopped giving out weapons after this and even during this, someone else was regulating them.”

“Pete, calm it. I just realised that I look a hell of a lot younger back then.” Tony said hastily. Peter gave him a look. “Okay, this is really hard for me to watch. I might as well try to make it better for myself. What did you say before? See the good things in the bad things. I had better skin back then, no grey hairs.”

“You got them because you’re turning old, Mr. Stark.” Peter giggled.

“Wasn’t there just blood on your face?” Rocket asked which earned him a hit on the head by Gamora. “What? He said he had good skin but his hair was all oily and crap.”

“Because he just got kidnapped. You think you’d look any better kidnapped?” Gamora asked.

“I know I can.”

“I am Groot.”

“Okay, I did get your help but I bet he did, too.” Rocket argued. “Also, he did look fancy before.” The racoon turned to face Tony. “Are you rich?” He asked with a gleam in his eyes.  
  
“Yes, and I’m a genius and this kid, too, is a genius. So you bet we have very tight security on our things so don’t try anything.” Tony said flatly.

“I’m seriously wondering if we’re going to see Peter in this movie.” Sam piped up.

“You aren’t because we don’t meet for another year,” Tony replied.

“Playboy years catching up to you? I can’t wait for Pepper to freak. That is if we get to see the movie of that.” Clint snorted.

“If Pepper is still here, they must have sorted it out,” Bruce said nervously.

“You know what? Believe what you will. If we ever get to see the moment where Tony and Peter meet, then you’ll be pleasantly surprised.” Pepper said hotly.

“Even I was. I, too, thought Tony messed up but he just picked up some kid for an internship.” Peter appreciated the lie.

Peter didn’t know if they were going to see anything on him so he doubted they’d find out he’s Spider-Man but it was good to keep it a secret. He would still need it to be a secret so he hoped no one would put anything together about him.

“So the relationship is all about money?” Steve raised a brow.

“No one said that.” Scott protested. “They look like a real family. I don’t know if they actually are but it has nothing to do with money.”

“Thanks, Mr. Lang!” Peter grinned and the superhero returned it.

**The screen is blank when a narrator speaks.**

**“Tony Stark,” The voice begins and the screen is filled with a crowd applauding. The stage has a background of silver ribbons and there are two screens showing a photo of Tony Stark crossing his arms. The captions say: Las Vegas, 36 Hours Earlier. “Visionary, genius, American patriot,”**

**The screen shows a picture of a young Tony smiling in black and white. “Even from an early age, the son of legendary weapons developer, Howard Stark,” The screen then shows a gruff looking man that would be Howard Stark. “Quickly stole the spotlight with his brilliant and unique mind.”**

“Don’t build him up too much or we’ll get disappointed,” Wanda murmured.

“I think it’s about high time you shut it,” Pepper told her. “We’re trying to watch a movie here.” She added sweetly.

Peter really wanted to tell her to try and be polite but huffed out a sigh. When Pepper got angry, she stayed that way for a good while. It didn’t help that her anger had been fueled by the way Tony had tensed up at the sight and mention of his father. Rhodey was throwing chunks of food at Tony for the man to eat from the air to distract him. Steve lighted up at the sight of Howard - Peter guessed they knew each other back in the war - and Peter was humming an AC/DC song that he had listened to with his father-figure the other week.

**There is another picture of young Stark with another man. “At age four, he built his first circuit board.”**

“Weak, I did that at three.” Shuri booed.

“Sucks on you, I did it at two,” Peter said which shut her up.

They both made a silent agreement to one-up the other later on.

**There is now a photo of Howard with Tony but it all looks a little too staged to look familial. “At age six, his first engine.” There is now a picture of a teen-aged Tony writing on a chalkboard. “And at age seventeen, he graduated summa cum laude from MIT.”**

**There’s a newspaper clip of Tony before it shows another newspaper clip of Howard’s face with the headlines saying he and his wife had died. “Then, the passing of a titan.”**

Peter knew that Tony was trying his best from looking at Bucky and when Peter looked at the other man, he was awkward. That was enough to prove to Peter that Bucky was okay on his watch, he just needed time to adjust and for everyone to talk it out. Steve, however, moved in front of Bucky as if he thought Tony would do something.

At the mention of ‘titan’, Gamora had tensed up with Quill rubbing her shoulder. She had brushed him off, being strong, and Quill shrugged before giving her a knowing look.

**A picture of Tony with Obadiah comes up. “Howard Stark’s life long friend and ally, Obadiah Stane, steps in to help fill the gap left by the legendary founder,” A picture of Obadiah a little more aged appears.**

Peter rubs Tony’s shoulder to stop him from tensing further. The sight of Tony’s own father-figure has the man turning taught under Peter’s fingers.

**“Until, at age twenty-one, the prodigal son returns.” The narrator said. A magazine clip comes up with a young looking Tony at the front with Obadiah at his back. Obadiah is looking at Tony but the billionaire is facing the side, his famous facial hair nowhere in sight.**

“You know, Obadiah looks kind of evil there,” Rhodey commented.

“That’s true,” Quill said. “But he’s good, isn’t he?”

“You’ll see,” Pepper muttered and Tony remained silent.

Peter was worried that Tony would break down or have a relapse. It was worse because it would be in front of Steve, someone Tony was trying to become better than his whole life. Rhodey had explained to Peter that Tony had been constantly compared to Steve by his own father that Tony always felt the need to be better than the hero. When they had met, Tony had tried to put it aside but when Steve tried pushing Howard’s personality on him, it didn’t go so well. So, even now, Tony was still trying to be better than Steve.

Peter constantly told Tony that he didn’t need to be better than Steve because, in Peter’s opinion, Tony already was. However, the teenager knew that years of living like that wasn’t going to change because of his sweet words. Even if Tony gave him grateful smiles and such.

**“And is anointed the new CEO of Stark Industries.”**

**The crowd starts to clap and you can see Obadiah amongst them, looking the proudest.**

**“With the keys to a new kingdom, Tony ushers in a new era for his father’s legacy, creating new smarter weapons, advanced robotics, satellite targeting.” A whole of clips appear before a photo of Tony appears at the end. “Today, Tony Stark, has changed the face of the weapons industry by ensuring freedom and protecting America and her interests around the globe.”**

Wanda is no longer looking at the screen. Her eyes are obviously now looking at Tony, her gaze unreadable. Peter knew that if he wanted to convince her that Tony wasn’t all that bad, he’d actually have to get close to her. That would be a bad idea since it was obvious that she didn’t like him because he hung around Tony.

_ This movie better show Tony in a good light to convince Wanda he isn’t the monster she thinks he is,  _ Peter thought.

**A man is standing on the podium as the crowd claps. It is Rhodey.**

“You look different.” Peter giggled.

“It’s the haircut.” Natasha offered.

“Oh, I see it.”

**“As liaison to Stark Industries,” Rhodey speaks into the mic. “I've had the unique privilege of serving with a real patriot. He is my friend and he is my great mentor. Ladies and gentlemen, it is my honour to present this year's Apogee Award to Mr. Tony Stark.”**

“Wait, this was the award show you got pissed at me at?” Tony asked.

“You’re lucky I didn’t have the War Machine suit back then or I would have beaten the shit out of you for doing what you did.” Rhodey grinned.

“What did he do?” Mantis asked curiously.

“Tony, wait, did you skip it?” Bruce asked with wide eyes.

“Did you do it with beer?” Thor asked. “Beer is always a good excuse.”

“Hey, buddy, I’ve been meaning to ask, what’s up with the one eye?” Tony asked the god.

Thor looked surprised before taking a moment to think. Peter had been thinking the same thing because the god was wearing some kind of eye patch. Was it some sort of space style thing? The other aliens weren’t wearing anything.

“Oh. It was taken.” Thor shrugged. “I shall explain it all to you after this movie is over. I want to know what my friend had been through before we met. I don’t want to disrespect him.” Thor smiled at Tony.

Clint looked ready to say something but Pepper gave him a fiery glare which shut him up.

**The crowd start to give a round of applause along with Rhodey as some music plays in the background.**

**Tony is nowhere to be seen.**

**“Tony?” Rhodey asked as he looks around the room to seek his best friend’s face. Rhodey looks at Obadiah who seems to be shaking his head - it translates to ‘he’s not here’. Rhodey keeps a smile on his face though he licks his lips nervously.**

**Obadiah gets up from his seat and heads for the podium. He takes the trophy away from Rhodey’s hands. “Thank you, Colonel.”**

**“Thanks for the save,” Rhodey said outside of the mic so only Obadiah could hear it, though it is audible to the viewer.**

**“This is beautiful,” Obadiah said as he stares at the award. “Thank you,” He said as he looks at the crowd. “Thank you all very much! This is wonderful.” The scene cuts to the crowd and back to Obadiah, who is looking at the trophy before back at the crowd. “I’m not Tony Stark,” He begins which earns a laugh from the mass of people. “But, if I were Tony, I would tell you how honoured I feel.”**

“Would you?” Steve asked.

“These days? Yes. Back then? Yes without meaning it.” Tony replied.

“Did you also have to skip the show? I would kill to win one.” Clint inquired.

“I have no excuse for that.”

“Wow, but you always have an excuse for everything,” Clint argued.

“I think we should all be quiet.” Bucky interrupted. “We don’t want to be at each other’s throats.”

**“And what a joy it is to receive this very prestigious award.” Obadiah continued, his gaze constantly flickering towards the award. “Tony, you know…” He trailed off before looking away from the trophy. “The best thing about Tony is also the worst thing.”**

**“He’s always working.” Obadiah grinned.**

**The scene shifts to a casino where Tony Stark is playing a game, rolling a pair of dice. It seems to be a bad roll as Tony keeps saying ‘come on’ and people are cheering at his loss.**

“Working.” Sam snorted.

“To be honest, I did that once but not for an award show.” Shuri raised her hand.

“If I ever won something, I’d do the same.” Quill shrugged.

“I feel you,” Natasha nodded.

“I feel you,” Shuri snickered.

“Why are there so many people feeling you?” Peter laughed along with Shuri.

**Tony seems to be flirting with a woman when Rhodey shows up behind him. The man said, “You are unbelievable.” which Tony returns with a groan.**

**“Oh no! Did they rope you into this?” Tony joked.**

**“Nobody roped me into anything!” Rhodey replied and Tony apologised. “But they told me that if I presented you with an award, you’d be deeply honoured.”**

“Is that Happy?” Peter asked with wide eyes.

“You say my name is weird, who names their kid Happy?” Rocket snorted.

**“Of course I’d be deeply honoured,” Tony said in that quick voice of his. “And it's you, that's great. So when do we do it.”**

“Did you honestly forget or were you playing dumb?” Pepper asked. “Being playing dumb does not look good on you.”

“Uh….” Tony avoided meeting anyone’s eyes.

**Tony is asking for another round when Rhodey thrusts the award in front of Tony.**

**“There is it, that was easy.” Tony joked but Rhodey does not look impressed. Tony apologises again.**

**“Yeah, it's okay.” Rhodey manages out with his face full of disapproval.**

**Tony doesn’t seem to get the clue that he should stop playing because he continues, even flirts with the girl in front of his best friend who’s trying to look polite. Tony even had the audacity to tell Rhodey to blow on his dice but Rhodey refuses and knocks them out of his hand.**

**It was a bad roll.**

“You have Parker Luck, too?” Peter laughed.

“The two of us,” Rhodey sighed. “But not as bad as you.”

“Yeah, kid, sometimes I think you can just avoid death from the number of near-death experiences you have,” Tony said.

“Like that one time making salad in the kitchen.” Pepper offered.

“Or when he made a card.” Rhodey laughed.

“But he can manage making a repulsor for me.” Tony snorted.

**The scene shifts to Tony and Rhodey walking with some guards behind them, Happy there too. The two friends shake hands before Rhodey warns Tony to not be late for something the next day.**

**Tony walks into the streets with guards surrounding him, all of them wearing the same black and white suits. Happy is opening the door to the limbo when someone cries out, “Sir!”**

“Holy shit, it’s that batshit woman.” Tony groaned.

“Wait,  _ her _ ?” Pepper asked and is returned with a withering look.

“Wait, are you serious?” Rhodey asked.

“Is this that Christine Everhart? Pepper always talks smack about her.” Peter giggled.

“Who is she? Another of Stark’s hookups?” Clint asked in disapproval.

“Mr. Barton, I understand you like loyalty in a relationship but some people prefer to have one night stands,” Peter said. “There are multiple adults and teenagers that do that and they’re all human so I don’t get why you’re looking at Mr. Stark like he’s disgusting.”

“If you look closely, you can see that Clint Barton is stunned.” Shuri laughed and even T’Challa had to hold back a smile.

**“Mr. Stark! Excuse me, Mr. Stark! Christine Everhart, Vanity Fair magazine.” The blonde woman introduced herself. “Can I ask you a couple of questions?”**

**“She’s cute.” Happy murmured.**

**“She’s all right?” Tony asked.**

“Shallow much?” Steve asked.

“I believe that some people can change,” Mantis argued.

“She’s right.” Pepper agreed.

“I believe so, too.” Thor nodded seriously. “My brother, Loki, used to be our greatest enemy and now he’s the best brother I’ve ever had.”

“He’s alive?” Sam asked, alarmed.

“Alive and not here,” Thor shrugged. “He now does mild jokes instead of mass murder.”

“You say that so casually,” Quill said.

“We’re crooks, you get to say nothing.” Gamora reprimanded him and Rocket smirked at Steve’s stunned face.

**“Hi!” Tony turns around.**

“You changed your mind quick.” Quill snorted.

“You always brag about doing the same thing.” Rocket said, making the ginger shut up.

“I think that Tony should have turned around no matter what,” Thor said. “But he’s Tony so if he turned around, it’s part of destiny.”

“Destiny doesn’t exist.” Peter and Tony said in unison.

“I like making my own decisions,” Tony shrugged.

“I don’t want to be dictated for my whole life.” Peter said.” If I fight for freedom, why should I be shackled to this predestination crap?”

“That was deep.” Shuri snorted.

“I hang out too much with MJ,” Peter said. “But that doesn’t make it any less true.” He said just in case.

“Your son is really something,” Bruce said to Tony. “Where does he go?”

“Not my son and Midtown,” Tony replied which earned a lot of stunned looks from the people that knew the school.

**“Hi,” Christine said with less enthusiasm than Tony had.**

“Even she knows to stay away.” Sam laughed.

“I think I’ve had better reactions.” Quill laughed.

“Like Gamora?” Rocket snickered.

“I am Groot.”

“Exactly,” Rocket agreed.

“Where’s Drax?” Mantis asked as she looked around.

Everyone looked around to find the alien with the red tracings. It didn’t take long until both Peters looked pointedly at the alien who was raising a chip to his lips very slowly. Peter Parker thought that maybe Drax was doing that thing that people do in the movies when they saw a T-Rex, they would freeze but Drax was just moving really slowly. Peter didn’t know what Quill was thinking but the ginger looked confused and annoyed.

“I was invisible,” Drax whispered as if he was still invisible.

“Right,” Bruce said awkwardly. “I could make you an invisibility cloak?”

“Really?” Drax looked interested. “Your man friend looks amazing.” He said as he looked at Thor.

“Right?” Peter agreed.

“Tony, even your son doesn’t like you.” Clint snorted.

“No one said that, Peter just agreed that Thor looks great. Which I agree with.” Bucky murmured in that gruff voice of his.

Sam was even nodding along and Peter could see Wanda agreeing through her disapproving eyes that were directed at Clint. Scott had even moved to sit on a bean bag with the aliens right after Clint had said what he said. Natasha, even though her face was neutral, even had her nose scrunched a bit.

“Tony’s my favourite Avenger, then Thor, then Bruce!” Peter said with a smile on his face.

“Where am I?” Steve asked with curiosity in his eyes.

“About three years ago? Maybe fifth place. Now? Out of the original six? Sixth place. Out of everyone here? Last.” Peter shrugged which shut everyone up.

“Sorry, the kid can’t lie to save his life,” Tony said to everyone. “He either shuts up or tells the brutal truth.”

**The scene continued with Christine attempting to get a scoop out of Tony but the man was smart with his words, keeping them vague but enough to satisfy her needs. It didn’t take long for the conversation to swerve and the scene shifted to Tony and Christine kissing intensely on a bed.**

“Holy Shit -” Tony gasped before clamping his hands over Peter’s eyes.

Peter couldn’t see but he knew that Pepper had groaned, she was probably avoiding looking at the screen by tilting her face to look at the ceiling. Peter could feel Rhodey’s legs shifting about him as the soldier turned around to avoid the screen. Peter could hear shuffling as even more people avoided the sight on the large screen though there wasn’t as much shuffling as Peter would have thought - did that mean some people continued looking?

“You know I’ve seen, heard, and read worse than this at school, right?” Peter laughed. “Not that I want to see but you’re treating me like a kid again.”

“You were right back when Tony was kidnapped, you’re sixteen now. You’re a child.” Vision said.

“I’m almost seventeen.” Peter protested.

“That makes you sound younger than you are.” Rhodey snorted.

“She’s naked on screen, don’t let him open his eyes. However, the scene has finished so the rest can watch.” Vision notified them.

**“Good morning.” A voice announced. Christine is laying on her stomach and her eyes bolt open at the sound of the voice. She even lets out a short gasp, her body covered barely by the covers. “It's 7:00 a.m.” The voice continued and Christine grabs the covers to protect her chest as she looks around to see the source of the voice.**

“Jarvis?” Peter asked, still not able to see because of Tony’s hand.

“Jarvis.” Everyone on the couch agreed.

**“The weather in Malibu is 72 degrees with scattered clouds,” Jarvis speaks as the AI lets the windows show the outside world. Each frame blinked open like a light, the viewer can almost assume that it isn’t a window and just Tony’s technology giving the sight but it is a window. Christine sits up, gets out of the bed, and looks around before standing in front of the window as Jarvis continues with the weather.**

**The scene zooms out rapidly with music in the background, showing a mansion on a cliffside. The captions read ‘Malibu, California’ and the scenery looks beautiful.**

Tony finally allowed Peter to see.

**“Tony?” Christine asked as she walks into a living room with clothes on, the viewer would assume that those are not her clothes. “Hey, Tony.” With no billionaire on sight, Christine moves around with her arms swinging as she looks at the expensive interior of the mansion.**

**Christine had seen a gadget on the wall and had attempted to touch it when Jarvis had said, “You are not authorised to access this area,” and she had backed away with stunned eyes.**

**“Jesus.” She gasped.**

"No, it's Jarvis." Peter pouted.

**“That’s Jarvis.” A woman at the back said.**

“Shit, it’s Pepper.” Sam snorted.

**“He runs the house,” Pepper continued as Christine whipped around to face her. Pepper is wearing work attire but wearing her famous high heeled shoes, her hair carefully out of her face, and a strained smile on her lips. “I got your clothes here, they’ve been dry-cleaned and pressed. And there's a car waiting for you outside that will take you anywhere you'd like to go.” Pepper had the other woman’s clothes in her hand.**

**“You must be the famous Pepper Potts,” Christine said as she walked towards the woman.**

**“Indeed, I am.” Pepper said politely.**

**“After all these years, Tony still has you picking up the dry-cleaning,” Christine said.**

“Is she normally like this? Is this a news thing or a human thing?” Rocket asked.

“Normally.” Pepper replied. “I would have forgiven her if she was only like that with news but she does this all the time.”   


“All the time?” Gamora asked.

“Tried to hack into Peter’s school to find out who he is.” Rhodey laughed. “School had a fair earlier in the week where Peter and his friend were allowed to up the security so she had no chance to finding out about him.”

“So she has no info on my kid and we’ve banned her and her company from all SI things,” Tony smirked.

“That was my idea,” Pepper said with satisfaction.

“Ever tried shutting her up?” Gamora asked and Peter knew she meant permanently.

“All the time.” Pepper, Tony, and Rhodey replied.

“That’s not the spirit, I’m sure she’s being nice.” Steve protested.

“I don’t know what this movie shows but she’s annoying as fuck.” Tony sighed.

“Language,” Steve muttered and everyone groaned.

“You have a sailor’s mouth and you tell  _ them  _ to shut up?” Bucky snickered.

**Pepper looked momentarily baffled with her mouth hanging open before recovering smoothly. “I do anything and everything that Tony Stark requires.” She said in a robotic voice. “Including, occasionally, taking out the crash.” She said sweetly.**

“ _ Burn _ .” Shuri and Peter laughed.

“I don’t know what’s funnier. The situation or her shirt.” Peter blurted out.  
  
“What’s wrong with her shirt?” T’Challa asked and then his eyes widened when he saw it.

“Why is there a large gap between the buttons? Why can we see your chest?” Rocket burst out laughing.

“I ripped a button on the way to work and I had to keep it on.” Pepper said stiffly.

**“Will that be all?” Pepper said with that same robotic voice and a fake smile.**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can't wait for all of them to see how all of them struggled. I'm hoping to make a fanfic for each movie and they get to see how each of them were and get to talk it out.


	3. Buzzfeed Unsolved

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Are you Peter Quill. From Missouri?”

“So, let me get this straight? You fucked a news reporter and missed an award show?” Shuri asked.

“That about sums it up, I am so not proud of it, though,” Tony replied.

“I wish I had the power you hold. Imagine me doing all of that!” Shuri laughed.

“Imagine having a sane mind and watching it.” T’challa flicked her forehead. “She’s the smartest person I’ve ever met but sometimes I think she’s just an act.”

“You did  _ not  _ just say that.” Shuri glared at her brother. “Who made your suit? Who saved your ass so many times that even you’d be embarrassed? Who is said to be the next Tony Stark?”

“Me?” Peter snorted.

“Oh, yeah, you.” Shuri grinned at him. She was still sitting on the floor and she spun around on her butt so she could look at him. Peter was nervous under her gaze but gave her a nervous smile.

“You’re that kid that’s always with Stark? I hear you’re some kind of genius. Also, everyone keeps saying you are.” Shuri said quickly. “When we wreck this place, you wanna go to Wakanda to have fun?”

“If ‘fun’ means making lightsabers, then totally.” Peter nodded.

“Lightsabers? Why didn’t I think of that?” Shuri hung her head in some kind of shame. She looked up at Peter. “You. I like you. Tell your dad I want you in my home when we get out.”

“Mr. Stark, can I?” Peter asked giddily, ignoring the odd looks and snickering faces he earned.

“Sure, as long as I can get some vibranium into that suit of yours,” Tony said.  
  
“But you need it!” Peter argued.

“I can give you enough for the both of you.” T’Challa offered. “Shuri can help Stark with his suit since his is made out of nanoparticles. She says there’s a trick that she found out to make it work and you might want to hear it. Peter can work on his suit since it’s just spandex.”

“Spandex is great.” Peter pouted.

“Depending on how far this movie goes,” Tony said slowly, “I have another suit for you. No spandex.”   


“Great, spandex is shit.” Peter sighed out in relief.

“What the fuck just happened?” Quil asked.

“They just planned a vacation. I want a vacation.” Drax grumbled.

“We'll get a vacation, big guy,” Rocket muttered. “Only if I get myself a crap ton of money.”

“Then we’ll get that vacation in no time.” Gamora grinned.

“Mr. Stark, they’re such great siblings,” Peter said, looking at Shuri and T’Challa.

His senses had made it possible for him to hear the guardians and he could hear the others talking amongst themselves. They must have taken this as a chance to have a full conversation as it seemed no one was going to stop. The movie had paused because of their speaking and it just showed Pepper’s fake smile.

“Yeah, and?” Tony asked. Peter grinned, the man knew him so well.

“I’ve never had a sibling. Imagine me being a big brother!” Peter snorted.

Pepper shifted next to him.

“You cold?” Tony asked the other three on the couch.

“Yup,” Rhodey said, legs still draped all over them.

A blanket appeared over them and Rhodey made a show of shifting his legs to snuggle in the thick material. Tony hit him on the legs and Pepper let out a groan, letting Peter know she had just been kicked by Rhodey. Peter, somehow, did not get hurt throughout the whole ruckus.

It didn’t take long for the room to fall silent.

**The scene shifts to Tony working along to some kind of rock music. He is really deep in thought, his fingers knowing exactly where everything is. “Give me an exploded view.” He said quietly to a screen.**

**The object the screen was showing was being taken apart as Jarvis spoke, “The compression in cylinder three appears to be low.”**

**“Log that,” Tony said, still in that hushed voice.**

“Why are you so quiet?” Rocket asked in an obnoxiously loud voice.

“He gets like that when he’s focused.” Pepper supplied.

“You should be like that. I hate it when you start screeching.” Quill poked at Rocket who growled at him.

**The camera shifts to show that Pepper is punching in a code. The viewer can see her through the glass wall, her flaming her visible. Tony is too concentrated to notice, the viewer can assume as he has not moved.**

**“I'm gonna try again, right now,” Pepper said to her earpiece.**

**“Please don't turn down my music,” Tony said, apparently noticing her arrival.  
** **  
** **“I’ll keep you posted.” She said to the earpiece, finishing her conversation. She is holding a clipboard and she looks stressed.**

“Okay, can I ask you something, Brucie?” Tony asked.

“Sure?” Bruce replied, rubbing his hands together nervously. Thought, Peter thought he wasn’t that nervous. Tony had said stories about him, how he seemed nervous but he was stern, full of science, and badly timed jokes. Peter could see it under the man’s eyes.

“Where were you? These two years, I mean.” Tony said, voice thick.

Everyone else shifted to hear.

“I took the quinjet to space. I think I was having a really bad day and I didn’t want to hurt anyone else. I don’t remember much.” Bruce shrugged.

“What? How?” Rocket asked.

“Did you get drunk?” Steve asked. “Because that’s understandable, we can always get you off it.”

Bruce stared at him. “Were you always so…? I don’t mean to be rude but I don’t think you were ever this...did you just assume I drink? Even though you know I don’t?”

“It has been two years,” Sam shrugged. “I don’t know you but I heard you were solid, man. Steve didn’t mean anything by it, he just wanted to help.”   


“Yeah, well, I wasn’t drunk,” Bruce said somewhat hotly. “I was the hulk for two years.”

“Then I found him!” Thor cheered. “We beat each other up and I managed to get him to turn back! We then destroyed Asgard with Loki’s help!”

“ _ What? _ ”

**“You are supposed to be halfway around the world right now,” Pepper said with an unimpressed look.**

**“How’d she take it?” Tony asked, not turning to face her. He was working on his car, the design of flames dancing across its surface. The viewer can assume he is talking about Christine.**

**“Like a champ.”**

**“Why are you trying to hustle me out of here?”**

**“Your flight was scheduled to leave an hour and a half ago.”**

“Pepper, is it me or did you fix your shirt?” Rhodey laughed.

“Holy crap, she did!” Peter laughed.

“You looked so stressed, sorry,” Tony said sincerely.

“Rhodes, do you want to move? I bet this isn’t that comfortable.” Peter gestured at the way Rhodey’s legs were draped over them under the blanket.

“Yeah, I just didn’t want to complain,” Rhodey said.

“But you complain all the time.” Tony pointed out.

“Okay, I was just too lazy to say anything.” Rhodey shrugged. “What do we do?”

Tony sighed before standing up and all three of them followed his lead. They shuffled about a bit until they found a spot to all sit comfortably, no one accidentally hitting another person. Tony and Peter were still next to each other, Tony at the very right edge with Peter on his left. Pepper was next to Peter with Rhodey on the very left edge.

No one lifted their legs to that position again.

“They’re like a unit,” Gamora commented lowly but Peter heard, he opted to ignore it.

“They’re like family, like us,” Quill said, looking meaningfully at everyone else in his team.

They all shared a comical but meaningful look before everyone shut up.

**“That's funny, I thought with it being my plane and all, that it would just wait for me to get there,” Tony said in his low voice.**

**“Tony, I need to speak to you about a couple of things before I get you out of the door,” Pepper said, shoving her dishevelled hair out of the way. It looks as if she had run her hand through it multiple times as it is sticking out in odd angles.**

**“Doesn't it kind of defeat the whole purpose of having your own plane,” Tony asked, either not hearing what Pepper had said or ignoring it. He finally gets up from his stool, finishing or pausing in his work on the car. “if it departs before you arrive?” He asked, making eye contact with Pepper, using a cloth to wipe at his hands.**

**“Larry called. He's got another buyer for the Jackson Pollock in the wings. Do you want it? Yes or no.”**

**“Is it a good representation of his spring period?”**

**“No. The Springs was actually the neighbourhood in East Hampton, where he lived and worked,” Pepper said with her lips thinning - Tony asked, “So?”. “Not "spring" like the season.”**

**“I think it's a fair example, ummm.” Pepper hums as she thinks. “I think it's incredibly overpriced.” She concluded.**

**“I need it.”**

“You remind me of someone,” Quill said, looking at Tony.

“Who else is like him?” Clint asked.

“He reminds you of you, dumbass!” Rocket grumbled. “You can’t resist buying overpriced shit, either.”

“Same goes to you,” Quill quipped back, Peter could tell he did not like being teased or mocked.

“Actually, he doesn’t pay.” Drax piped up.

“He steals.” Mantis looked proud to be contributing to the subject.

“We  _ all  _ steal.” Gamora sighed.

“Not all of us,” Peter said, he couldn’t resist not joining in on the conversation.

“Really? I vividly remember that you dumpster dive for scraps. Wait, you still do.” Tony laughed.

“That’s not stealing if it belongs to no one. Also, it would be a waste if I didn’t use it.” Peter argued.

“I never said it was a bad thing.” Tony protested.

**“Buy it. Store it.” Tony said, getting off the stool and Pepper let out a breathy laugh either for stress or the idiocy of it. Tony starts walking and Pepper follows him.**

**“Okay,” She drags the word out. “The MIT commencement speech…”**

“You know I already gave in a few good words for you in there, you know,” Tony said to Peter.

“Are you sure you’re not his father?” Clint asked. “No offence, but, really?”

“Same here, it’s just...maybe not biologically but maybe you see him as a son?” Scott asked.

“Are you magic?” Tony asked Scott as he was the closest.

“I can do card tricks?” Scott shrugged.

“Can you teach me?” Peter asked giddily and Scott nodded happily.

**“Is in June,” Tony said, finishing her off. “Please, don't harangue me about stuff that's way, way, down…”**

**They talk for a bit more as the camera follows them, showing the expanse of the underground room. There are cars and screens everywhere, the lighting was dim, and everything looks personal, unlike the upper floor.**

**“What, you got plans?” Tony asked.**

**“As a matter of fact, I do.” She held out a pen for Tony to sign something.**

**Tony looked at her, the viewer can tell he doesn’t want her to leave.**

**“I don’t like it when you have plans.”**

“Seriously? That came out wrong. Jesus. I’m so lucky I’ve changed, that was so bad.” Tony groaned and Peter patted him on the back.

“I think you’ve changed.” Scott nodded. “You seem like a pretty cool dude. Even back then, you just… couldn’t do things right. I know the feeling.”

“Why is that?” Peter asked, not able to contain himself. “You look like a cool dude, too. Especially with the card tricks.”

“I used to be a criminal, still am at times.” Scott shrugged. “I changed for my daughter.”

“Tony changed for many reasons but there are some main factors,” Rhodey said vaguely.

“Which are?” Natasha asked.

Out of that group, Peter trusted Scott and her the most. Tony even had less of a problem with them. Scott had no idea about what had been happening but seemed to be actually trying to make a bond with them. Natasha had only wanted her family to be together, something Peter knew the feeling of all too well, and she was making an effort too.

“Us three,” Pepper gestured at the three others on the couch besides Tony - Peter blinked owlishly. “And what happened in Germany.”

Everything got silent again.

“Isn’t Germany that shit place with the blue eyes fetish bullcrap?” Quill inquired.

“That was years ago,” Peter laughed. He looked closely at the man. “Are you Peter Quill. From Missouri?”

“Why do you know that?” Quill asked with guarded eyes.

“Dude! I watched a Buzzfeed Unsolved episode on you! I found you! Holy crap!” Peter giggled.

“OH!” Shuri screamed. “That’s why you look familiar!” She pointed at Quill.

“Calm down, breathe,” Tony said slowly for Peter. “It’s like you get a sugar rush at every exciting thing.”

“My daughter’s the same. Never a dull moment, is it?” Scott laughed and Tony actually joined in - Peter hit Tony on the arm in embarrassment.

**“I’m allowed to have plans on my birthday,” Pepper said.**

**“It’s your birthday?”**

“That sounded bad.” Tony groaned. “I knew it was your birthday, Peps.”

**“Yes.”**

**“I knew that,” Tony said. “Already?”**

**“Yeah. Isn’t that strange? It’s the same day as last year.”**

**“Get yourself something nice from me.”**

**“I already did.”**

**“And?”**

**“It was very nice.”**

**“Yeah?” Tony asked, beginning to smile.**

**“Very tasteful. Thank you, Mr. Stark.” Pepper was also beginning to smile.**

“Some people would say that they never saw how their parents fell in love. I can’t. But that was cute as heck.” Peter laughed.

“That sentence was all kind of baloney.” Shuri shook her head.

“I’d want baloney.” Bucky murmured and it appeared in front of him.

**“Your welcome, Miss Potts.”**

“Is this a family thing? Saying Miss and Mr?” Clint asked.

“Huh?” Rhodey said.

“The kid called Stark ‘Mr. Stark’ and they both went ‘Miss Potts’ and ‘Mr. Stark’. Am I missing something?”

“Yeah, Mr. Stark is his name.” Peter giggled. “First name is Mister and last name is Stark.”

“Jesus, you have the same sense of humour.” Pepper wheezed and poked Tony on the cheek. “You said the same thing about Agent Coulson.”

“Holy shit.” Tony gasped.

“We’re connected, Mr. Stark!” Peter squealed. “You think if I trained hard enough, we can do telepathy?”

“Board meetings would be fun, then.” Tony grinned.

**The scene continued with Tony drinking something from a tiny cup before saying “Okay” and leaving with Pepper smiling, following after him.**

**The scene shifts to show two cars zooming by on a highway. The cars stop in front of a plane and there are two signs saying ‘STARK INDUSTRIES’ which make it known that this is Tony leaving on his personal plane.**

**“You're good? I thought I lost you back there.” Tony asked, getting out of the silver car. Happy is getting out of that black car, his face as gruff as ever.**

**“You did, sir.” Happy replied. “I had to cut across Mulholland.” He explained.**

**“Ah, I get you, I get you.” Tony sounds at ease.**

**“What’s wrong with you?” Rhodey asked.**

**“What?” Tony asked.**

**“Three hours,” Rhodey said simply.**

**“I got caught doing a piece for Vanity Fair.” Tony lied swiftly.**

“Even I wouldn't be able to tell that was a lie.” Rocket whistled. “You seem like the kind of man to do that. Even for three hours.”

**“For three hours. For three hours you got me standing here.” Rhodey complained as Tony walked up the steps with Happy holding his luggage behind him.**

**“Waiting on you, now,” Tony said as he reached the top. “Let’s go, come on.” He said as he ducked into the plane. Happy goes in after him, looking a bit tired, and Rhodey stayed out for a bit to sigh before going inside.**

**The scene shifts to show his plane flying in the clouds.**

“I will never see your planes the same. Ever again.” Peter joked weakly.

“Kid, neither can I,” Tony said.

“Have I ever told you that I’m also very afraid of planes?” Peter asked. “Mom and dad died on it and when you asked me to come with you on that business trip to Germany,” The lie stuttered out of him but no one noticed, “I freaked out by talking even more than I do now. Then I crashed that plane of yours last year.”

“Holy shit, remind me to get you on a boat, next time,” Tony said soothingly.

**The attendant is leaving not without giving Tony a few looks which he returns.**

**“Whatcha reading, platypus?” Tony asked Rhodey.**

**“Nothing.”**

**“Come on, sour patch.” Tony continued. “Don’t be mad.”**

**“I told you, I’m not mad,” Rhodey said, looking at the paper he was reading and not Tony. “I’m indifferent, okay?”**

**“I said I was sorry.”**

**“Good morning, Mr. Stark,” Another attendant said as she arrived, her smile directed to Tony. He returned it.**

**“I told him I was sorry but he…” Tony trailed off to the woman.**

“He does that to you, too?” Peter asked.

“To me, as well.” Pepper sighed.

Whenever Peter messed up with people around, Tony would bring other people into it. Peter didn’t know if it was to embarrass him or what but it was nice to know he wasn’t targeted in this.

**“I’m just indifferent, right now.” Rhodey corrected him. The attendant gives Tony a wet towel. “You don’t respect yourself so I know you don’t respect me.”**

**“I respect you,” Tony’s reply was quick to show how obviously hurt he was.**

**“I’m just your babysitter,” Rhodey said. “So, when you need your diaper changed... Thank you.” He said to the attendant who gave him a towel. “Let me know and I'll get you a bottle, okay?”**

**“Hey! Heat up the sake, will you?” Tony asked the attendant. “Thanks for reminding me.” He thanked Rhodey.**

“I do not think that was the point,” Mantis said.

**“No, I'm not talking…” Rhodey tried to speak. “We're not drinking. We're working right now.” He is either talking to the attendant or to his best friend.**

**“You can't have sashimi without sake.” Tony shrugs.**

**“You are constitutionally incapable of being responsible.”**

“Ouch,” Quill said slowly.

“I have to agree.” Tony nodded.

“You do?” Steve asked. Tony didn’t waver under his gaze. Peter was proud that even after all this time, Tony could stand up to anyone.

“I’ve changed, Rogers. If any living being can, why can’t I?” Tony asked. “I feel like this movie is going to keep bringing up how I’ve changed so you better digest it now before it’s too late.”

“I also feel like we’re going to need some clean air, soon.” Rhodey murmured at Peter had to agree.

They were going to see Tony kidnapped again and that was not going to go well with Tony. Even if the billionaire could keep up his mask against people, that didn’t mean his mas was invincible against his own anxiety and PTSD.

Peter was also very worried about Pepper and Rhodey. Peter wasn’t there in that time of their lives, he was living his eight-year-old life and fighting anyone who said Tony was dead - debating, not fighting - and they were probably scared out of their minds for Tony.

**“It would be irresponsible not to drink. I'm just talking about a nightcap.” Tony said as the attendants worked on getting their food on their table.**

**“Hot sake?” An attendant asked.**

**“Yes, two please.”**

**“No,” Rhodey said. “I'm not drinking. I don't want any.”**

“I think I remember what happened after this,” Tony smirked at Rhodey.

Rhodey groaned.

**“That's what I'm talking about,” Rhodey said with a drink in his hand and Tony with one as well. The scene had shifted to this, music playing the background and Rhodey is speaking along with the music. “When I get up in the morning and I'm putting on my uniform, you know what I recognize? I see in that mirror that every person, that's got this uniform on, got my back!”**

**Their conversation continues with the workers dancing to the music in front of them. The women’s clothes had been tucked and turned to show their midriffs and there was a pole that they were dancing around.**

“This is really bad.” Tony groaned.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm glad you all like it so far.
> 
> As you can see, Scott is going to be the first to trust Tony out of them all! I love that idea, you know?
> 
> I give you all permission to stab me or whatever if I discontinue this because I'd be pretty pissed, too.
> 
> ENDGAME KILLED ME.


	4. Guilt

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “What I did?” Yinsen asked, almost sarcastic but somehow polite. “What I did is to save your life.”

Peter could sense the mood shift in the area on the couch he was sitting on.

He knew that it was nearing the time where Tony had been kidnapped, he knew that everyone else in this room knew, too. Peter noticed the signs of his loved ones become tense and upset: Rhodey would grab tap his knee and Pepper had that wrinkle near her lips. Tony just became snarkier.

“Wow, Pete. You’re squishing me in, how much have you been eating?” Tony whined as he shifted.

“I’m a growing man.” Peter pouted.

“Boy,” Tony corrected. “Yeesh. Petey, you need to drop a few calories?”

“Tony, shut up and watch the movie.” Pepper swatted him.

**The scene shifts to an area that looks like it would be near that road from the beginning of the movie. There are many soldiers wandering around, on cars or just on foot, and Tony Stark’s plane is stuck in the centre of it. The viewer has been confirmed that this is Afghanistan as a caption reads ‘Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan’.**

**Tony is getting out of his plane and there is a crowd waiting for him to reach the ground. “General.” Tony extends his hand out to a man as soon as he reaches the floor.**

**“Welcome, Mr. Stark.” The man shakes his hand firmly. “I look forward to your weapons presentation.”**

**“Thanks.”**

**Tony even shakes the hand of another man behind the General.**

**The scene shifts.**

“I actually felt so powerful doing this,” Tony smirked.

Peter knew what he was doing.

Tony liked keeping his heart and past close to his chest, kept behind some mask that he projected to the world. This movie was going to show that he had been wearing a mask and that he was just a man, a human man. Tony liked to appear strong, so he was going to make fun of his own situation to make it seem like he doesn't care.

“You want some of my ice cream?” Peter asked, tugging at Tony’s sleeve. “It has nuts in it, your favourite.”

“I’m surprised he hasn’t whipped out a bottle, yet,” Clint whispered.

“Are you serious?” Peter said, surprising the hero. “He hasn’t drunk in a year. Stop giving him ideas!”

“A year? Holy crap, that’s great. Some friends of mine are hopeless addicts, can’t even stand an hour without the stuff.” Scott said, impressed with Tony.

“Had to set an example, I also didn’t need it anymore.” Tony shrugged.

“Same here, didn’t want to make Cassie grow up to be a criminal.” Scott paused. “Wait - if I’m here, is Cassie okay?”

“I’m sure we’re only going to be here for one movie. Then, we’d somehow get out. We’ll figure out a plan after watching it.” Tony said, not sure why he was comforting the man.

“But why are we watching the movie?” Sam asked. “No offence, but we could use the time to get out.”

“It was what I was trying to say earlier.” Steve nodded.

“Three enhanced people can’t crack down the wall. There are no vents. We somehow have oxygen. Things are appearing out of nowhere. We have no weapons and no suits. What are we meant to do?” Tony asked. “If we calm down, we can then come up with a proper plan.”

“Three?” Steve asked, eyeing Peter.

Peter gave him a superior look.

“It is true,” Shuri said. “We also have three geniuses here - four, if Banner can still keep up. If we can’t figure out anything, then I guess we’ll die here.” Peter snorted at that. “But I see we have the best four geniuses here, so I doubt that.”

“Who’s the fourth? Mr. Stark, you, Dr. Banner…?” Peter asked.

“You, dummy.” Pepper laughed.

“Oh.”

“Okay, you’re a genius in other factors, no street smarts, though.” Shuri wrinkled her nose. “I tried wishing for some parts but I think whatever is sending us these things figured out what I was doing and stopped. I just have this, now.” She raised a chunk of metal.  
  
Peter could tell what she was trying to do with it. She was going to make a gauntlet, some kind of exoskeleton for her arm, so she could help in taking down the wall or making a signal. It was going well but she only had a few fingers and two wires.

“I haven’t worked manually in ages,” Shuri whistled. “I use machines a lot so…”

“I can tell,” Tony started. “I just tried wishing for more parts for it and no ones giving me anything. So I guess that plan’s a bust.”

“Then, we watch the movie and think,” Quill said, making all of them glare at him.

**“Is it better to be feared or respected?” Tony asked, the camera facing him directly with the land behind him as a backdrop. “I say, is it too much to ask for both? With that in mind, I humbly present the crown jewel of Stark Industries' Freedom Line. It's the first missile system to incorporate our proprietary repulsor technology. They say the best weapon is one you never have to fire. I respectfully disagree. I prefer the weapon you only have to fire once. That's how Dad did it. That's how America does it. And it's worked out pretty well so far. Find an excuse to let one of these off the chain, and I personally guarantee you the bad guys won't even want to come out of their caves.”**

“Howard made weapons?” Steve asked.

“You knew SI used to manufacture weapons, what did you think he did? Make cosmetics?” Tony asked.

“It’s just...really?” Steve murmured.

**Tony gestures as the crowd of soldiers face to their right to see three missiles directed to the sky.**

**One gets fired out into the sky. As it reaches a somewhat decent height, separate missiles detach off of the main body. They are all heading to the mountainside.**

**“For your consideration, the Jericho.”**

**The mountain explodes behind him and Tony raises his arms as the impact occurs. The viewer can even see the wind heading toward him as dust clouds together behind him to form a wall. Even the soldier’s hats are blown off and they are surprised but Tony is unphased with his arms still up.**

“He’s t-posing!” Peter snorted and Shuri busted out laughing.

**The scene shifts to Tony opening a box. It reveals alcohol and a few glasses of varying heights. Tony says something to the soldiers, telling them to have a glass, and ends it with a “two piece”.**

**Tony takes out his phone and it shows Obadiah in his bed, shirt off, and saying, “Tony!”**

“I could have gone my life without seeing that.” Rocket commented.

**“Obie, what are you doing up?” Tony asked.**

**“I couldn't sleep till I found out how it went. How'd it go?” Obadiah asked.**

**“It went great. Looks like it's gonna be an early Christmas.”**

**“Hey! Way to go, my boy! I'll see you tomorrow, yeah?”**

**“Why aren't you wearing those pyjamas I got you?”**

**“Good night, Tony.”**

**The call is disconnected.**

**Tony has been walking throughout the whole conversation and has arrived at a van. The door is open to him and he gets in, the door making a bang as it closed.**

“It’s happening really fast,” Gamora muttered.

“That means she has already gotten attached to you!” Mantis said happily.

**“Hey, Tony,” Rhodey said through the open window.**

**“I'm sorry, this is the ‘fun-vee’. The ‘hum-drum-vee’ is back there.”**

**“Nice job.”**

**“See you back at base.”**

**The scene shows the van getting blown up.**

**The screen is very dim, showing a blurry image of Tony laying on a table. There are people surrounding him, dressing his wounds, the blood staining his skin - the colour so much like the alcohol he drinks. Tony is screaming through the whole thing, the viewer can assume this is a surgery and he can feel every bit of pain coursing through his body.**

**There is a disk-like object being in someone’s hand, hovering over his chest.**

Even Wanda shifts uncomfortably.

**Tony has finally fallen unconscious.**

**The screen zooms into him, a wire hooked up to his nose, with his arm thrown to the side. There is a faint scream in the background.**

**He jolts awake with a gasp.**

**Tony takes a few shallow breaths as his eyes recognise the unfamiliar environment surrounding him. He even coughs a bit. He reaches for the wire in his nose and slowly pulls it out, a groan coming out of him as the slick sounds come through in the audio.**

**He turns to face his side and flexes his fingers. He tries reaching for something but ends up knocking it to the ground.**

**Tony looks up to see a man shaving in a mirror stuck to something. He is humming a tune as he does the chore.**

“Is that him?” Pepper whispered.

Peter knew of this man only from stories told to him by the three people surrounding him.

Yinsen.

Tony doesn’t even need to react as they all knew who the man was.

**Tony moves again, causing a sound to rupture through the room.**

**“I wouldn’t do that if I were you.” The man says.**

**Tony looks and sees that he is hooked up to a machine. He tugs at the wire, attempting to get it off, but all it does is make him have a painful groan. Tony feels at his chest with his hands. Something seems off. He tears open his bandages with a groan.**

**His sounds become a bit more panicked as he notices the wires.**

**There is a disk-like object stuck to his chest.**

**No.**

**It’s in his chest.**

“Mr. Stark, do you want to talk about time travel with me?” Peter asked, trying to distract Tony.

“There’s only one thing about that, it’s impossible,” Tony muttered.

“Technically, it can,” Peter said. “Just think about time like some a Mobius strip but inverted.”

“Wait...what the  _ fuck _ ?” Tony said with wide eyes.

“HOLY SHIT!” Shuri screeched.

“Peter, you’re really something,” Bruce said with obvious shock.

Even Rocket, who Peter was suspecting to be pretty smart, looked stunned.

“We’re watching something very sad and some child figured out time travel? Aren’t we meant to be consoling Tony?” Steve asked.

“This  _ is  _ helping him,” Rhodey interjected.

“Peter’s the best at it,” Pepper shrugged. “I can help too but you all are here. I also think Pete just wants to show off to you lot.”

“Hey!” Peter squeaked.

“Show off in what way?” Drax asked. “That he’s smart or has a good relationship with this rich man with the good facial hair?”

“That was oddly descriptive,” Tony commented.

“Both.” Rhodey snickered.

“I think it is nice that Peter knows how to help his father,” Thor said. “I always had to help my father whenever he got upset, but Loki somehow was better at it.”

“Are you going to keep making Loki sound good? Even though he’s dead?” Natasha asked. “You really have to just stop and explain, you know.”

“Ah, Natasha, always the one for getting information.” Thor teased. “I shall explain later, this is Stark’s moment, not mine.”

“That’s not the arc reactor, though, right? I thought you made it.” Shuri said. “Sorry if that was insensitive, but…?”

“My sister doesn’t really do sensitive things.” T’Challa apologised.

“It isn’t the reactor, but it is coming up.” Tony shrugged.

**Tony lays on the cot, facing the ceiling of the cave with shiny eyes and was gasping in gulps of breath. He was in obvious shock, the most famous billionaire who spoke so much was rendered speechless because there was** **_something_ ** **in him.**

**The scene shifts to Tony looking at something and the man tending to the fire.**

**“What the hell did you do to me?” Tony asked.**

**“What I did?” Yinsen asked, almost sarcastic but somehow polite. “What I did is to save your life.”**

“If anyone makes fun of his English, I will personally gut you,” Tony said. “He was an amazing man so don’t you dare.”

“Do you always make friends with sarcastic people?” Natasha asked. “I’m not going to tease his English, but tell me about him. He seems nice.”

Peter could see the gears churning in Tony’s head about whether he should divulge the information or not. Natasha had only switched sides to keep the Avengers together and she was still trying to do that because she loved them. So it didn’t surprise Peter when Tony actually let her know.

“Peter isn’t that sarcastic, I’d say I make friends with stubborn people.” Tony shrugged. “He kept insisting to help me so I let him. Sometimes I wish he was here so I could tell him that I have a family.”

Peter didn't understand what the last bit meant but nodded all the same.

“Look, I….” Quill looked like he was struggling to articulate his words. “This might sound like I’m trying to put this all on me, but I’m not. My dad died and I wish I could tell him how I made a family to,” He looked at his team throughout that, “But I’m sure Yinsen knows just like my dad knows.” He winced, apparently, the words weren’t coming out right.

Tony looked like he appreciated it, though.

“I think Yinsen’s looking down on me and thinking how much of a dipshit I’ve become,” Tony said with a sad smile.

**“I removed all the shrapnel I could,” Yinsen explained and the viewer gets a closer look at the disc inside of Tony as the billionaire stands up. “but there's a lot left, and it's headed into your atrial septum. Here, wanna see? I have a souvenir. Take a look.”**

**He tosses something to Tony. Tony looks unimpressed and stunned at the same time. It’s a glass tube with a bit of shrapnel in it, something that used to be in Tony’s chest.**

**“I've seen many wounds like that in my village.” Yinsen carries on. “We call them the walking dead.”**

“I would make a joke but this man is amazing,” Shuri said in obvious awe. “He managed to save you, he’s some sort of genius! In a cave! It would take a while for us to do it, even longer for you lot and he managed it in a  _ cave _ .”

“I also manage to make friends with geniuses,” Tony smirked.

“Do I classify as a genius?” Rhodey asked.

“You’re like my impulse control so technically? Yeah.” Tony grinned.

**“Because it takes about a week for the barbs to reach the vital organs.” Yinsen continues.**

**“What is this?” Tony is using that quiet voice again. This time, it’s not in concentration but in shock.**

**“That is an electromagnet, hooked up to car battery, and it's keeping the shrapnel from entering your heart.” Yinsen gave an awkward smile.**

**Tony just zips up his jacket to prevent the world from seeing the ‘electromagnet that is hooked up to a car battery’.**

**The camera pans to show a camera on the cave wall, there to keep the two of them watched at all times.**

**“That’s right. Smile.” Yinsen had this sort of sing-song voice he uses whenever he spoke in that sassy yet polite voice. He even had that polite but smug smile to match whenever he spoke like that.**

**“We met once, you know, at a technical conference in Bern,” Yinsen said.**

“You never told me that,” Pepper said. Looking around, no one did.

“I try to not speak of him much,” Tony said. “I wish I would have spoken to him in that conference but he had that face. You know.  _ That  _ face. The kind that says you’d speak for hours about business and I was the type of person that hated work. I still do but I take it more seriously now.”

“You also feel guilty.” Rhodey pointed out.

“Yeah, I feel that, too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for being late. I'm having the biggest exams that will set me for life starting next week so I'm kinda stressed! SORRY!


	5. Palladium

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “What is it called when a criminal walks down the stairs? A condescending.” Quill laughed and slapped his knee like he told the joke of the century. Gamor rolled her eyes fondly before giving him a loud slap on the back.

“Pete? You look really pale, my  _ wonderful  _ nephew.” Rhodey said.

Peter knew he was trying to lighten the situation up by calling him his ‘nephew’ because Peter knew how Rhodey dealt with people. Depending on the person, Rhodey would be sweet or rough but it never mattered because everyone knew he cared. It didn’t mean that he was a different person with everyone, he only had different ways of helping people when they were weak. With Tony, Peter had heard, Rhodey always went ballistic. With Peter, Rhodey was sweet and jokey.

“I…” Peter didn’t meet any of their eyes. “You know that scene when they put the thing in Mr. Stark?” He earned a nod from everyone in the room. Peter felt his cheeks burn in embarrassment, this was meant to be a private conversation but he couldn’t blame them all for listening since the movie stopped every time someone spoke - it made you listen to people. “I...I feel like I’m going to throw up. Not because of the fact that...it was just...Mr. Stark wasn’t numbed or anything for it...I…”

“Holy fucking shit,” Clint muttered. Peter’s eyes went straight for him and realised the man was turning a little green - no,  _ very  _ green. Even Natasha, who had read Tony’s papers and knew this happened, had shock in her eyes and disgust creeping up. Steve was looking uncomfortable - Peter knew he was beginning to see the real side of Tony but didn’t know how to console Tony as it wasn’t going to be welcomed.

“I have to give it to you,” Rocket said after clearing his throat, “You have balls to even be talking shit like you do every day, like me. I would have cursed at them but...I get it, you know? They don’t really have aliens like me in space, you know?”

Peter got a good look at Rocket. Peter had assumed that there were many other aliens like him in space, that he had a family. However, that was naive. So he gave the alien an encouraging smile which Rocket just kinda growled at. Peter knew enough proud people to know that Rocket took the smile in kindly, just didn’t want to show it.

“If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you actually cared.” Quill poked him in the side. He looked back at Tony, “I know it kinda sounds like we’re all pitying you but we aren’t, just saying. You look like the kind of dude that would think it.”

Peter looked at the group and, not for the first time, saw them as their own mismatched family. Peter knew first-hand that a family was never by blood. May wasn’t even related to him but she felt like so much of a mom to him that it didn’t matter. That didn’t erase the fact that he looked at Pepper like a mom, either. They looked at each other like sisters, too. Ben was Peter’s dad and so was Tony. Peter had Ben as an uncle and so was Rhodey and Happy. It was all weird and outsiders might find it strange but it was all Peter ever needed and wanted in life. So he understood that their family over there was going to be so close. Even when Drax kept moving away from Mantis and Quill kept looking at Gamora with gooey eyes. Rocket just kept growling at Groot who looked bored. A family.

“I…” Tony looked at the room. “Not going to lie, it kinda does sound like pity, but, I guess, thanks? It hurt like a bitch in that cave, in more ways than none, but it feels like a million years ago to me now. I kinda still do feel the pain,” Peter saw his hand move to his chest and Pepper gave Tony a squeeze on the thigh, “Meh, all in the past, you know? I’d love to ignore it but the movie is making me watch it.”

“Get it over with?” Pepper asked, everyone in the room reading Tony’s mind.

“Yeah,”

They all shut up.

**“I don't remember,” Tony said, moving his head to avoid eye contact.**

“You never look anyone in the eyes when you feel bad,” Peter poked him in the side and Tony swatted him.

**“No, you wouldn't. If I had been that drunk, I wouldn't have been able to stand, much less give a lecture on integrated circuits.” Yinsen said as if he were cracking a normal joke to a long-term friend.**

**“Where are we?” Tony asked, looking around and still avoiding Yinsen’s eyes.**

**All of a sudden, a foreigner starts yelling from behind a metal door. Yinsen looks alarmed and heads over to Tony, the fire he was tending to all forgotten.**

**“Come on, stand up. Stand up!” Yinsen whisper-shouted at Tony. Tony was beginning to stand up when Yinsen grabbed him by the elbow to just drag him up. Tony looked mildly confused and offended. “Just do as I do,” Yinsen said intensely to the billionaire.**

**Yinsen tells Tony to put his hands up and they both do as the metal doors open to reveal a couple of raggedy looking men.**

**“Those are my guns. How did they get my guns?” Tony asked in a quiet but alarmed voice. He knew that his company had all the best weapons and they were now aimed at him.**

**“Do you understand me? Do as I do.” Yinsen started to look pissed and annoyed.**

**One of the men, looking like the leader, raided both arms in the air and started speaking in a foreign language. There are no subtitles for the viewer. The man continues to speak and move towards the two men in the light of the fire.**

**Tony just looks very confused.**

**After the man looks like he is finished with what he was saying, he gestures at Yinsen to translate.**

**“He says, "Welcome, Tony Stark, the most famous mass murderer ‘in the history of America’.” Yinsen translates.**

“Somehow that whole speech translates to those few sentences.” Shuri then winced. “Whoops? Was that rude? I dunno. I’m going to say that’s not rude. Tell me if it’s rude. I don’t know if I’d care if it’s rude. Well, I think I do care. But if it was someone I don’t like, I’d tell them to eat shit and I’ll carry on speaking shit.”

“Shuri, just...be quiet, please?” T’Challa looked done.

**The leader speaks again. “He is honoured.” Yinsen translates. The man speaks again. There is a familiar word in there - Jericho - but it is spoken in such a heavy accent that it could be missed. “He wants you to make the missile.” The man speaks again as if he was correcting Yinsen or explaining in further depth. “The Jericho missile that you demonstrated.” The man speaks again and passes a piece of paper to Yinsen. Another few words of heavily accented English could be heard - for him - so the reader can assume Tony has to see it.**

**“This one,” Yinsen says as the paper shows the Jericho missile from earlier on in the movie. It is slightly blurred as the missile is in flight and looks like it was taken at the site Tony was just in which meant that the terrorists had been there during the demonstration.**

**There is a tense silence and Tony says, “I refuse.”**

**The leader looks perplexed.**

**The scene shifts to Tony’s head being submerged in water, sounds of him struggling to keep his breath can be heard. However, the viewer can see bubbles coming from his mouth from the shock and the struggle. The hands in his hair pull him back up and he gasps for breath. They submerge his head again. There are flashes back to the thing in his chest that is connected to the car battery, many flashes of images that would haunt the billionaire.**

“On Asgard, we have other forms of torture, but I understand that all forms of torture are just as bad as the other,” Thor said. “I heard that drowning feels like you’re on fire even though you’re in the water, which is strange in my opinion.” He looked at Tony. “I shall give you a beer for surviving this.” A beer appears in the air and he throws it at Tony. If it wasn’t for Peter’s fast reflexes, it would have hit Rhodey’s legs.

“Thanks, my great anime lord,” Tony said and laughed at Thor’s confused look. “Sorry, the kid is getting in my head. When this is all over, come over with Brucie and we’ll have to catch you up on the shit you’ve missed. Like how that one fire in London happened, tell them about it, Petey.”

“This one tower set on fire and the government said they were going to give this crap tonne of money but they didn’t. They kept this fraction for themselves, seriously.” Peter paused. “The building even set on fire because the designers used this cheap thing that isn’t very fire resistant, they didn’t want anything expensive. They chose money over lives, people! The government is stupid!”

“I don’t know if I should agree or disagree with that,” Steve said, speaking for the first time in a while. “I used to fight for the government but they do have a lot of bad ideas.”

“LIke the missile they sent to New York,” Natasha offered.

“Your governments are messed up,” Rocket said.

“We don’t even follow our government, we’re…” Mantis looked around and whispered in a rather loud voice to her group, “Thieves.”

“We're going to pretend to not hear that,” Pepper said.

“All people make a living somehow,” Peter shrugged. “We can’t judge. Mr. Stark used to own weapons and I still dumpster dive.”

“I never had a serious job, did I?” Steve said.

“Neither did I,” Bucky said and they both looked at each other with comical looks.

“You two are like two dying brain cells,” Sam shook his head.

Peter could see the beginnings of a smile forming on Tony and he smiled himself. Peter wouldn’t say he trusted that group that much but if Tony used to be friends with them, they must have  _ something  _ going for them or maybe that was Peter being naive. He was told many times that he always sought for the good in people so it wasn’t a surprise that he was looking at Steve’s team in a strange but good light, no wonder Peter was looking at the Guardians like they were friends!

**The guards then lead Tony out of the cave with a sack on his head so he wouldn’t be able to decipher a way out. They then take the sack off. The sun is really bright compared to the cave’s dim fire, the dissonant sound making it worse.**

**There is a whole small village around this cave. People are moving around and working. The ‘buildings’ were just sticks that were barely holding together with the blankets to form roofs. There were supplies under them all.**

**Tony is carrying the car battery in his hand and one of the men hit his head to make him move. He walks down the winding path to the village, his steps wobbly, his eyes taking everything in. Whilst in the village, his eyes are still roving to keep a note of everything.**

**The camera pans to show weapons.**

**His own weapons.**

“I feel like this movie is out to get me,” Wanda said. She looked at Tony. “I know now that you couldn’t have sold those weapons. The weapons right there in the movie wouldn’t have been sold by you, either. But… you have to understand that it’s going to take a while for me to get used to the idea that you’re not this big villain.”

“Yeah, I don’t really care,” Tony shrugged but Peter could tell he did.

“Hank told me to never trust a Stark but you seem alright by my books, even if I am a criminal. You seem alright, you know?” Scott said. “Hank’s probably just mad at your dad or something, doesn’t mean I have to hate your guts. Just your dad’s. Sorry, if you don’t mind.”

“Nah, go ahead, I’ll hate my dad along with you.”

**The man speaks again and Yinsen translates, “He wants to know what you think.” Tony looks like he is a second away from giving everyone a withering look.**

**“I think you got a lot of my weapons,” Tony said steadily and quietly. The smallness of his voice could be because of fear or because he is thinking of something to do. However, his voice does not quiver in the slightest and he looks the leader in the eyes.**

**“He says they have everything you need to build the Jericho missile.” Yinsen translates after the man speaks again. “He wants you to make the list of materials.” The man speaks again. “He says for you to start working immediately,” Yinsen then looks at Tony, “and when you're done, he will set you free.”**

“No he won’t,” Quill said.

**Tony shakes his hand.**

“Rogers, I can sense your disapproval from here. Just so you know, I’m not that dumb as to let some dipshit order me around like that.” Tony said, not looking Steve in the eyes. He always looked people in the eyes out of pride and avoided gazes when he felt bad.

**“No, he won't,” Tony said as he flashed a fake smile at the leader, he was speaking to Yinsen in English as the terrorists would never understand him.**

**“No, he won't,” Yinsen agreed with a nod and a fake smile at the leader.**

“As I said, the dude has balls to talk shit about someone like that to their face,” Rocket said.

“This is one of the many reasons you're my friend and why I find you annoying,” Bruce said. “Seriously, very condescending.”

“He still is condescending.” Peter nodded.

“What is it called when a criminal walks down the stairs? A condescending.” Quill laughed and slapped his knee like he told the joke of the century. Gamor rolled her eyes fondly before giving him a loud slap on the back.

**The leader smiles at them all as if he was won a prize and Tony has a smug look at being able to talk behind the man’s back right in front of his face. Tony narrows his eyes at something in the distance and the camera allows the viewer to see a bald man in the distance.**

“And so the plot thickens.” Shuri and Peter said in unison.

**The scene shifts to Tony in the cave by the fire. He is wearing a hat and new clothes as if he had changed. He has a very serious look in his face.**

**“I'm sure they're looking for you, Stark,” Yinsen said as he came around the fire. “But they will never find you in these mountains.” A pause as Yinsen crouches in front of Tony. “Look, what you just saw, that is your legacy, Stark. Your life's work in the hands of those murderers. Is that how you want to go out? Is this the last act of defiance of the great Tony Stark? Or are you going to do something about it?”**

**He hadn’t even finished when Tony spoke.**

**“Why should I do anything? They're going to kill me, you, either way. And if they don't, I'll probably be dead in a week.” Tony said, stopping Yinsen from any protests. There is a pause as Yinsen thinks, the crackle of the fire keeping the silence at bay.**

**“Well, then, this is a very important week for you, isn't it?” Yinsen jokes.**

“I like his sense of humour but seriously?” Shuri asked.

“You say that but you’d do it for kicks,” T’Challa said.

“Did you just say ‘kicks’? What? I’ll agree to give you a better upgrade if you don’t say it. I can say it but you sound old.” Shuri said and there were nods of agreement through the room - even from the aliens.

**The scene shifts to people moving materials about the cave. Tony’s voice could be heard amongst the shuffles and whispers, “If this is going to be my workstation, I want it well-lit.” Tony has a new hat.**

“How are you getting these hats?” Drax asked.

“Ask no questions, hear no lies,” Tony said ominously.

**“I want these up. I need welding gear. I don't care if it's acetylene or propane.” Tony carries on. His voice is the loudest amongst everyone else. Yinsen can be seen translating everything Tony is saying to the leader, his gestures wild and sweeping. Tony’s voice holds authority, something the billionaire knew he didn’t have whilst being held captive. “I need a soldering station. I need helmets. I'm gonna need goggles. I would like a smelting cup. I need two sets of precision tools.”**

**The scene shifts to Tony working, his voice quiet in concentration, “How many languages do you speak?”. The weapon looks like another missile and it looks like he is dismantling it.**

“I have a question,” Scott said. “Just because you owned the company didn’t mean you knew how to make the weapons. They took a big gamble in trying to get you to make it when there was a chance you couldn’t.”

“Please, everyone knows Tony makes most of his work. Now that he has interns, they help, too. Well, so do the other employees. No more weapons but other useful things.” Rhodey shrugged. “Tony actually lets the others do a lot of designing. Something about after seeing Peter, he realised it’s better to get the young people to think more.”

“That’s pretty sweet,” Natasha said, giving an awkward yet encouraging smile that Tony just stiffly but gratefully nodded to.

**“A lot,” Yinsen said. “But apparently, not enough for this place. They speak Arabic, Urdu, Dari, Pashto, Mongolian, Farsi, Russian.”**

**“Who are these people?” Tony asked in that quiet voice of his.**

**“They are your loyal customers, sir.” Tony just looks at Yinsen as his fingers continue to work. “They call themselves the Ten Rings.” Tony looks back at his work and continues.**

**The camera shows the leader and a couple of men looking at them through a screen because of the camera. The screen is very old fashioned even though they managed to have Tony’s latest weapons.**

**Tony is still dismantling the missile as Yinsen crouches down because it looks like he has nothing to do. “You know, we might be more productive if you include me in the planning process,” Yinsen said.**

**“Yeah, huh,” Tony doesn’t look as if he’s listening. His hand in deep in the missile and he uses his other hand to slam the surface of the weapon as if he’s taking something out of it. Something clicks and he drags out a frame with a lot of wires.**

**The scene shifts to that frame on a flat surface. “Okay, we don’t need this,” Tony throws the thing over his shoulder. He has a pair of tweezers in his hand as he works.**

**“What is that?” Yinsen asked and Tony looks at him.**

**“That’s palladium,” Tony said and the viewer can assume he got it from that frame.**

“I wish I could tell him not to use it,” Tony shook his head.

“That’s you making the reactor, right?” Shur asked and Tony nodded. “Palladium is a bad choice.

“Why’s that?” Sam asked.

“It could kill him,” Rocket said. “I think that’s what we’re getting at, I have no clue what an arc reactor is but from what I’m hearing, he’s putting it in him and that’s a big no-no.”

“The arc reactor is a power source, very clean energy,” Peter said. “Never been made properly before Mr. Stark. His dad tried and couldn’t, either.”

“Palladium would poison him,” Bruce said and he looked alarmed. “You were getting palladium poisoning? Was this still going on when I met you?”

“Nah, fixed the problem long before,” Tony said.

“How? Nothing else would work,” Shuri said, leaning forward.

“Created a new element.” Peter grinned.

“I’ll show you sometime. My head is saying to keep the whole thing to myself but the more people using cleaner energy, the better.” Tony said.

“I don’t understand,” Quill raised his hand.

“Okay, so Earth is full of stupid humans,” Natasha said. “We’re killing it with all the stuff we’re releasing in the atmosphere. So, now, we’re looking at better energy sources to decrease the risk of killing our planet.”

“Stark’s dad made a company for weapons but he was also working on the arc reactor, one of the cleanest energy sources out there. But he couldn’t do it so he passed it on to Tony,” Steve said, knowing some of the story.

“Tony then made it in this cave with only scraps. He made it really small too with no prototypes. He made it so he wouldn’t have to carry around the car battery and to make a large suit of destruction.” Sam said.

“No prototypes? So he just put it in his chest with no tests?” Rocket whistled.

“The palladium? I don’t get that bit.” Quill urged them to continue.

“I don’t understand, either,” Thor said.

“There are certain things that are bad for humans, they’re like poison. That palladium Tony is using is one of them. It was good to use and technically the only thing he had at the time, but it was slowly killing him.” Pepper said slowly and her glassy eyes told Peter she was remembering those times. “Then he watched a video his dad had and came up with the idea of the new element he could use.”

“How? Shouldn’t the dad have done it, then?” Drax asked. “What’s the point of making his son do all the heavy lifting?”

“He was a jackass but I doubt he’s that much of one. He probably didn’t understand how to do it even though he had all the info. He had the info all in a video and this 3D diagram. I used it an made the new element. And BAM! No more poisoning and I’m still alive.” Tony said.

“That’s a lot of…” Quill said. “I give you a lot of props, man. From one son of a bitch of a father to another.”

**“0.15 grams.” Tony continues as he rotates it. “We need at least 1.6, so why don't you go break down the other 11?”**

**The viewer then sees another scene of the terrorists looking at them from their screen. There is no audio, only footage, so the viewer knows that the terrorists just think they’re working.**

**The scene shows the two working hard with fire and everything. “Careful,” Tony repeats as Yinsen is using tongs to move an object out of the fire. “We only have one shot at this.”**

**“Relax, I have steady hands,” Yinsen said softly. “Why do you think you’re still alive, huh?”**

**The object is a sort of cup with hot liquid in it. Yinsen steadily pours it into a bowl of powder that Tony had ground earlier in the scene.**

**“What do I call you?”**

**“My name is Yinsen.”**

**“Yinsen. Nice to meet you.”**

**“Nice to meet you, too.”**

**Tony is seen using the tweezers to get out a thin circular wire out of something and placing it on top of a cuboid of metal.**

**Time has passed and the circular wire had copper wires at intervals, Tony’s face could be seen as he is using a lens to do the work carefully. There are many things being held up in front of the eyepiece but they’re not together. His face is in the correct position so when he looks, they all line up.**

**Then the camera shows the thing he is working on, it is glowing with a bright blue light.**

**“That doesn’t look like a Jericho missile,” Yinsen said as he looks at the object in awe.**

**“That's because it's a miniaturized arc reactor,” Tony said. “I got a big one powering my factory at home. It should keep the shrapnel out of my heart.”**

**“But what could it generate?” Yinsen asked.**

**“If my math is right, and it always is,” Tony begins.**

“I could make a meme out of that,” Shuri said.

**“Three gigajoules per second.” Tony finishes off.**

**“That could run your heart for 50 lifetimes.”**

**“Yeah. Or something big for 15 minutes.” Tony said.**

“It’s really weird just looking at myself saying the things I’ve said in my life,” Tony said. “Sometimes I want to pat myself on the back or scream at him to stop it.”

“I hope for us that we don’t have to watch our own movies,” Scott said.

**Tony puts down a lot of tracing paper above a light. Yinsen hovers over Tony’s shoulder and watches intensely as Tony works. They put the paper in position and they all line up to make a figure as all the papers have different parts sketched on them.**

**“This is our ticket out of here,” Tony said as he tries to align them more properly for Yinsen to see.**

**“What is it?”**

**“Flatten them out an look.”**

**Yinsen does as he is told and the camera shows a bulky yet menacing looking machine with lighter sketches around it. Everything is so detailed and looks as if Tony put a lot of thought in it.**

“I would say that looks shit because it’s bulky but you had to make it by hand with scraps.” Rocket whistled.

“Wait - shit! I knew about the scraps but - he had no tech!” Shuri said with wide eyes. “Brother, I need my machines for everything and this man just did it with his hands and primitive things!” She looked at Tony. “You and your son are probably to only people on par with me.”

“I don’t have a son,” Tony frowned even though he was playing with Peter’s curls.

“Sure,” Shuri scrunched her nose in sarcasm and turned back around to see the screen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The exams have this weird timetable where I have this holiday in the middle of it. SO HERE I AM DOING WHATEVER THE FUCK I WANT!
> 
> Someone asked me for links but this is the only one with the most chapters but it updates slowly, sorry!  
> https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13121277/1/The-Avengers-Watch-Infinity-War
> 
> Someone also told me I missed out the whole lot of them freaking out about Tony being awake the whole time so I put it in - I knew I was missing something in the last chapter!
> 
> Don't be afraid to call me out on my mistakes! I think there may be a couple in this chapter so point them out, even if my pride plummets!
> 
> Exams are finishing in two weeks and because of the school rules, I don't have to go to school after that! So I have a whole extra month of summer! I live in England and I'm doing my GCSEs so when I finish, I technically have nothing else to learn in school so they dump us with our families to let them suffer!!!!


	6. Everything and Nothing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Bitch, you did not just say that,”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! I just finished my GCSEs! I've heard some of you have also finished so I hope you have a great big summer! Make sure to donate your stuff if you don't need them! 
> 
> There have been new fanfics like this floating around so you can go see them!
> 
> I don't really have an updating schedule and I'm going to do it as I go but it's just giving me an excuse to just see and hear Tony again.
> 
> My school has prom in a few weeks and my friends have decided for me that I will go. They have also denied my request for wearing a nice shirt and jeans so I have to go buy a dress? At least I ge to go berry picking with one of my friends and get waffles with the others.
> 
> Our last exam was physics and when the first batch of people got released (combined with no extra time) people shrieked and cried. I had to go to the music department to download my coursework and say goodbye to my teacher. I even got a little present from my school's therapist. I met up with my friends a few hours ago to see who was staying behind for sixth form and I cried but because I'm a tsundere and a silent crier, no one noticed until the sun hit my face.
> 
> All in all, a great day.
> 
> I'm having mixed feelings on whether I'm going to miss the rest of the year or not - but I think I will? I get attached to people really easily so when I left school, I just felt the need to hug this one girl who I haven't spoken to in a month because I didn't know if she would stay for sixth form.
> 
> HAVE A GREAT DAY!!! EVEN IF YOU STILL HAVE SCHOOL!!!

**Yinsen is in awe at the sight of the machine on the tracing paper - well, as much as someone can be in awe when they’re in a cave. He whispered, “Impressive,” as if he knew Tony would make something like this the whole time.**

**The security camera shows the two of diligently working but the viewer can assume they are working on the machine and not the missile - but the terrorists do not know this. However, the camera does show Yinsen working on Tony’s chest and it isn’t until he moves out of the way do we see that Tony has the arc reactor in his chest, now.**

“Please tell me you were knocked out for that,” Pepper said. Her voice told Peter that she wouldn’t take no for an answer - Peter was also hoping for a no.

“Ask no questions and hear no lies,” Tony smiled at her. He noticed Peter’s pale face and ruffled his hair. “Rhodes, I can sense you dying to say something - spit it out.”

“I kinda just realised that you were probably dying of palladium poisoning when I took your suit away,” Rhodey said. “I don’t regret taking it away but I could have helped you. I really was a bad friend.”

Peter was alarmed by many things - Rhodey had taken his suit? Peter was always surprised by that even though he knew. Rhodey thought he was a bad friend? Peter would beg to differ.

“Rhodey - I’m about to get mushy here - but you’re a great friend. If you never took the suit away, I never would have learned to be a bit more responsible. You’re an amazing friend.”

“Yeah, you’re great Rhodey!” Peter grinned. “You and Mr. Stark would technically be the old-timey version of me and Ned.”

“We’re not that old,” Mr. Stark narrowed his eyes on him. He looked at Pepper, “We already spoke about this - you don’t have to apologise, either. You were doing what you thought was best - I love you for that. So shut up and let’s watch the movie.”

“I like this dysfunctional family you have going on,” Gamora said with a nod. “I have a sister who I’ve just gotten closer to and now I have this lot to deal with.”

“We’re actually missing two members of our family,” Pepper shrugged. “The kid’s aunt and Happy.”

“The driver dude the kid kept screeching about?” Rocket asked and everyone nodded.

“We’re like a dysfunctional family?” Peter said with wide eyes as he turned to look at the people on his sofa. “You would be like my third mom,” He looked at Pepper, “And Rhodey would be another uncle along with Happy.”

“What about me?” Mr. Stark asked. “Wait - no. I want this moment to be great between us and not whilst watching a very traumatising movie of me.”

“Can someone please explain by what the kid meant by ‘third mom’?” Sam asked, genuinely confused.

“I have my biological parents, then my aunt and uncle - who I see as parents but also as an aunt and uncle - and then Pepper as my third parent.” Peter shrugged. “I think it’s pretty cool. All I need is a little sibling and I’m set.”

Pepper shifted and Peter was nice enough to give more blankets to her.

“You seem to have a really nice family,” Scott said. “How does it work out? I only get to see my daughter on the weekends when she comes to visit - I’m on house arrest.”

“Oh yeah, for going to Germany,” Peter said slowly and could somehow manage to feel the tension in the room again. “I get to go to the Tower - he bought the Tower back! - on Fridays and weekends and stay at my place for every day else.”

“That’s pretty cool,” Scott said. “My daughter, Cassie, has to make do with what I have at my house. We make forts and stuff out of cardboard. I’m even learning how to do magic with cards.”

“Holy - can you teach me?” Peter asked with wide eyes and that earned a nod.

“Cooper would love to learn cards,” Clint said quietly as if he felt like he was intruding on a moment.

“Then we can bring all the kids over to have some kind of card sessions,” Peter said. “Wait - did I just call myself a kid?”

“Did you call me a kid? Because I want to go to that card sessions but I’m not a kid.” Shuri narrowed her eyes at Peter who was in mild shock. She just laughed at him before saying, “Don’t worry - I bet I can learn cards faster than you.”

“Winner gets to upgrade the other person’s suit,” Peter suggested. “I get your brother’s suit and you can get mine.”

“DEAL!”

“I am Groot.”

“Groot says he wants to come play but we live in a spaceship.” Rocket grumbled.

“You can come visit?” Scott shrugged. “I don’t know how space really works but you can?”

“We’ll come on days that aren’t busy,” Gamora suggested. “Peter can show me around Missouri.”

“I do?” Peter asked which earned a withering look from Quill.

“She meant me! Why would she mean you?” Quill sighed.

“We get to visit Terra? This will be fun! I heard humans have a very large range of emotions because they can’t handle them- that causes a lot of wars.” Mantis said in that slow voice of hers.

“What about me? I won’t have anything to do.” Drax pointed out.

“Does Terra have any muscle stuff?” Rocket asked.

“Yeah - I can show you them,” Natasha said.

Peter looked around as they all started to slowly start talking with each other. Tony and Steve tentatively looked at each other from their spots but neither got up to talk to the other - however, Peter did notice the awkward exchange of smiles between them. Bucky, who seemed to know Shuri and T’Challa, had just finished speaking with them and had struck up a conversation with Rocket. Pepper was talking to Natasha and Gamora - Wow, a lot of serious women in one spot.

Peter even spoke with Wanda about how Germany had been like. It was a tense conversation to have as both were on opposite sides of the war but they somehow found some sure footing on talking about Natasha’s hair which had been dyed blonde. Peter liked the look and had said he would never dye his hair and Wanda had said she had thought of making some of her own hair blonde - not the whole way through as she liked the red thing she had going on.

**The scene shifts to show a pair of dice being rolled.**

**It’s a game between Tony and Yinsen.**

**“You still haven't told me where you're from,” Tony said.**

**“I'm from a small town called Gulmira. It's actually a nice place.”**

**“Got a family?” Tony asked.**

**“Yes, and I will see them when I leave here. And you, Stark?” Yinsen looks up at Tony to wait for his reply.**

**Tony just looks at him with a mildly strained look as he says, “No.”**

“Bitch, you did  _ not  _ just say that,” Rhodey said as he leaned across Pepper to look at Tony.

“I have nothing to say for myself,” Tony said quickly.

“Well, I have a lot to say to  _ you _ .” Rhodey took a deep breath. “I’ve known you since  _ college _ , you’re so much more than a brother to me. I don’t know what I have to say to get it through your thick skull that even my mom treats you like her son!”

“Why does this sound vaguely familiar?” Tony asked as he looked at Peter.

“No! You pay attention to me and not to your son!” Rhodey said. “You come over for Christmas and even cut the Turkey that one time. We lived together that one time. I’m pretty sure that even Pepper is mad that you said you have no family - Happy would be as well.”

“Tony?” Pepper said in a sickly sweet voice. Tony turned to face her and Peter waited in awe to see what would happen. “If you ever say you don’t have family, I will personally shove adoption papers down your throat. If making Rhodey’s mom adopt you is what it takes, then so be it.”

“The rest of us weren’t there when this happened, so….” Peter said and gestured to the movie screen. “Rhodey, you were awesome. Next time, I’ll join in!”

**“So you're a man who has everything and nothing.”**

Peter wished Yinsen could see Tony even in death because that sentence was wrong. Tony had a family. He had Pepper as his fiance - he even had her as a friend, which Peter found really important when looking for a partner. Tony had two brothers - Rhodey and Happy. He had the Avengers - even with their ups and downs, Peter knew that Tony still looked at them as family. Tony now had all of these new people as friends. Tony also had him.

**The scene shifts to show the terrorists entering the cave and looking through a peephole to check on Yinsen and Tony. He looks pleased that they were working. He walks away.**

**The camera pans to show a lot of parts that would be part of the bulky suit that Tony had designed on the tracing paper.**

**Tony has a pair of goggles on as he worked on a part with fire. The cave is rosy with the light of the fire and Tony looks like he is in his element.**

**The screen shows the terrorists looking at the camera footage. The leader is holding a picture of the missile and is pointing at the screen. The viewer can assume that he must have figured out that they weren’t making the missile.**

**The scene also shows the bald man from earlier with ominous music in the background, he is looking at Tony and Yinsen working through the camera footage.**

**The leader announces himself through the peephole of the cave’s metal door - Tony looks up with goggles still on and the blowtorch still blazing which he quickly put out. The metal door opened and the two men put their hands before their heads.**

**Many soldiers have entered the room along with the leader and the bald man.**

**The bald man walks through the crowd and looks at Tony who looks bored though his body looked tense.**

**“Relax,” The bald man said in English. Tony looks a bit shocked as he puts his hands off of his head and slightly flinches when the bald man touches the arc reactor in his chest through his thin shirt.**

**“The bow and arrow once was the pinnacle of weapons technology.” The bald man said as he looks Tony in the eye before moving away. “It allowed the great Genghis Khan to rule from the Pacific to the Ukraine. An empire twice the size of Alexander the Great and four times the size of the Roman Empire.”**

**The bald man holds the tracing paper in his hand and Tony tenses a slight bit in hopes that the man won’t figure out what the papers were saying.**

**“But today, whoever holds the latest Stark weapons rules these lands. And soon, it will be my turn.” He looks at Tony.**

**Yinsen says something in a foreign language which strikes up a conversation with the bald man. It isn’t long before he is grabbed and put to his knees. The bald man holds a glowing piece of coal in the tweezers.**

**“What does he want?” Tony asked.**

**The men shift Yinsen’s head to the side and lean it on a surface. Tony looks as if what is happening has finally dawned on him. Yinsen is saying something and the viewer can only understand the word ‘Jericho’ - Tony reacts to that. The bald man then yelled at Yinsen.**

**Tony says something and starts forwards but the guns are turned towards him and the terrorists warn him to not move in their own language. Tony seems to take the hint and pauses as he looks at Yinsen.**

**“I need him.” Tony said, “Good assistant.”**

**The bald man drops the coal centimetres away from Yinsen who is taking big breaths of air to calm himself down.**

**“You have until tomorrow,” The bald man said, “To assemble my missile.”**

**And they all leave.**

“They were going to make him…?” Peter asked. He didn’t know where he was going with that. Were they going to put it on his skin? His eyes? His mouth? No matter the answer, Peter knew he wasn’t going to like it. Tony just gave him a grimace and everyone shifted uncomfortably.

“Why - why isn’t anyone reacting? The man was about to die or at least be burned.” Shuri furrowed her eyes at everyone. Peter assumed she was excluding him from that since he had obviously reacted.

“We’re both secret agents. Sometimes things like that happened to us and sometimes we had to do it for others,” Natasha said and pointed at herself and Clint. Both looked ashamed and very green at their memories and what had been on the screen.

“I think Tony handled it well,” Steve let out. “If it were me, I would have fought my way through which would have made the situation worse.”

“Thanks, Rogers, but I doubt it. I wish I could have shoved the coal down his own throat.” Tony said and the intensity of it made Peter freeze for a moment. Tony noticed and gave him a squeeze on the shoulder as Pepper leaned on Peter’s shoulder to share in their comfort.

“I don’t know why you didn’t.” Rocket said. “I would have but that’s just me. Anyone could see you’re already attached to the man.” Peter assumed he was talking about Yinsen.

**The scene shifts to Tony hammering something, the viewer can hear it echo in the cave. Tony’s body looks a lot dirtier as the scenes go by, his body covered by a thick sheen of sweat.**

**Tony’s puts the thing he was hammering in a sizzling liquid before presenting it to Yinsen by putting it on the table. Yinsen looks as if he were working on some wires and looks up at the thing that appears to be a helmet.**

**Tony bandages his hands - the viewer can assume it was an injury done by the work.**

**Yinsen helps equip Tony with a thick jacket and some gloves that looks to be made out of leather. Yinsen then puts the suit on Tony piece by piece. The chest piece attaches itself to the arc reactor and Tony is trying not to react to it.**

**The bald man checks the camera footage and doesn’t see them through one of the walls that they had put up. He orders the soldiers to go somewhere and the viewer can assume that they are going to the part of the cave that Yinsen and Tony are.**

**They look through the peephole of the metal door and yell Yinsen’s name and telling him to stop.**

**“Say something. Say something back to him.” Tony said to him, still in the suit as Yinsen is fixing it on him.**

**“He's speaking Hungarian. I don't…”**

**“Then speak Hungarian.”**

**“Okay. I know.”**

**“What do you know?”**

**Yinsen doesn’t reply as he yells something in another language to the soldiers who are still behind the metal door. The camera shows some wires on the metal door and the viewer can assume that it is some sort of bomb - they can also assume that Yinsen had made it since the viewer had seen Yinsen working on some wires when Tony was working on the helmet.**

**The soldiers open the door but it explodes in their face, the fire bloomed as they were knocked back by the impact. The camera footage of one of the cameras goes static as the bald man begins to look a bit panicked. He yells at more soldiers to go.**

**“How did that work?” Tony asked sarcastically.**

**“Oh, my goodness,” Yinsen said. “It worked all right.”**

**They speak a bit more before Tony says, “Initialize the power sequence.”**

**Yinsen is quick to agree as he heads towards a very old looking computer - this type of computer could have been seen as modern as this scene occurred a very long time ago. Yinsen starts to type what Tony says and listens to him.**

**“We need more time,” Yinsen says as he looks at the progress bar which is only halfway through. “Hey, I’m going to buy you some more time.”**

**“Stick to the plan,” Tony says and his voice raises a bit in panic. Yinsen picks up a gun from one of the knocked out or dead soldiers as Tony yelled, “Stick to the plan!”**

**Tony’s eyes are red but he can’t move to prevent Yinsen who has already headed out and is making good use of the gun. Yinsen runs as he fires his guns but is lead to an area where there are a lot of terrorists who aim their guns at him - The bald man is also there.**

**The progress bar suddenly quickens in pace and finishes.**

**All the lights in the cave power down.**

**The screen doesn’t show it but the viewer can hear some robotic noises that they can assume is Tony Stark.**

**More soldiers head over to where Tony is and they see the dead or knocked out soldiers sprawled on the cave floor. They slowly in fear make their way through the entryway that had been exploded with their guns loaded.**

**The lights flicker and lets the viewer see a bulky looking robotic hand flexing.**

“Holy shit,” Peter whispered and even Shuri lets out a nod of approval.

**One soldier turns around as a light was directed at them. The camera reveals that it was the arc reactor. The screen still doesn’t show the suit but shows the man flying as bullets were fired after him.**

**The men do an open fire in hopes of getting Tony before stopping. They look as if they thought they had finally got him but a whir alerts them of Tony’s presence and that he was very much alive.**

**The viewer catches a glimpse of the suit as the men were thrown against the wall as if they weighed nothing. The bullets ricocheted off of his suit as he punched one man who flew back from the impact.**

**The camera finally pans out to show the Mark I.**

“I don’t know if I’m allowed to say this, but that was pretty epic,” Shuri said. “Why can’t you be that cool?” Shuri asked T’Challa.

“Because I live with people who constantly bully me?” T’Challa asked.

“See, Quill? His superhero name makes sense. Iron Man because he is a man in an iron suit. What the fuck does Star-Lord even mean? You’re no lord and sure as heck not a star.”

Quill looked very offended but opted not to speak. Peter thought that was the smart choice as he would probably be bullied even further.

“Is this the part where…?” Peter asked. It was at moments like this where he was glad that Tony knew what he was thinking. Other times, like whenever he got detention, weren’t as fun to have some kind of mind-reading power between the two. It was fun and useful at moments like this and in the lab.

“I think so. I didn’t really see him die but I’m guessing this is it.” Tony said. “And, no, Pete, I will not look away.”

“At least I finally got to see who took care of you in that cave. He managed to wrangle you in pretty well.” Pepper said to Tony.

Peter couldn’t imagine how bad it must have been for her, Happy, and Rhodey. Peter had been young when this had occurred - his parents had just recently died - but he didn’t personally know Tony back then, just idolised him and humanised him to others. Pepper and the others had to have been a mess.

Pepper had told Peter that she knew Tony was going to be the one for her when she found out he had been taken by terrorists. She was probably regretting not having a date with him as they were obviously stranded in flirt city. Peter knew Tony got out for him because this was the future but she had no way of knowing that.

Rhodey probably thought he had lost his brother. He didn’t focus on telling others his feelings because he wanted to make others the best versions of themselves. However, he had once divulged to Peter that he always knew something was going to happen with Tony. Rhodey didn’t know what it was but he had a feeling in his blood that his brother was destined for something close to death. Even when meeting him in college, Rhodey had that feeling. Rhodey had thought Afghanistan was going to be when he died but it wasn’t and Rhodey still felt that feeling to this day.

Peter was safe to say he knew Happy pretty well at this point. Peter always looked at the good in people so he wasn’t that put off by Happy’s indifference to him at first. Then when they got to know each other, Peter would proudly say that he knew Happy cared under that gruff exterior. Happy was definitely distraught when Tony had been taken. It was meant to be his job to take care of Tony and he had just lost him. Happy probably didn’t even know how to do mushy talk and wouldn’t have been much of a talker when Tony had been taken.

Peter had to say, he knew these people were strong and he was glad to know them.


	7. Fathers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Both he and my dad were dicks.” Tony shrugged. “I should have noticed at that moment that he wasn’t what a dad was. No, I should have realised it a long time ago.”

**Tony is chasing a few soldiers through the chase - they were running as he slowly stalked towards them in his bulky suit. They hid behind a metal door thinking they were safe. One man was locked out and was left behind for Tony. The viewer doesn’t see it but rather hears it as there was a loud bang - the man’s screams stops.**

**The soldiers grow even more nervous as Tony starts hitting the door, dust floating down in visible amounts.**

**He kicks down the door.**

**He hits a man but his arm gets stuck in the wall. He tries to jerk it out as the soldiers run away from him.**

**All except for one who aims a gun at the suit.**

**He fires the bullet.**

**It ricochets and hits him instead.**

**Tony just looks at the man before continuing to try and get his arm out of the wall.**

**He finally manages to get it out.**

**The bald man is waiting at the cave’s entrance, no doubt waiting for Tony Stark. He has a gun in his hand and he doesn’t look afraid to use it.**

**Tony finally reaches Yinsen who coughs on the ground, blood painting him.**

Peter doesn’t even need to think to know what was going to happen. He could tell that everyone else in the room didn’t need to, either. Even Natasha was looking at the screen with fervour - Peter had noticed she had carefully concealed any emotion throughout most of it, but her eyes were glued on the screen. Scott looked like he was moments away from throwing up - Peter knew he was feeling the same if his stomach’s churning was going to indicate anything.

Bucky looked at the screen with furrowed eyebrows. Peter never blamed him for anything that had happened - he was the middle man who had amnesia so he couldn’t even comprehend what had happened. So Peter was so ready for a moment of peace where they could both talk - maybe even Steve could talk, too. Steve was looking at the screen with a new light, as if he couldn’t believe Tony would have gone back to save Yinsen.

Peter struggled to suppress his smile, he was glad that this was challenging Steve’s view of Tony. Everyone went through hardships, Peter had to admit, so it was stupid that they also happened to Tony. He was glad that this was showing Steve and more people that Tony wasn’t that bad - he wasn’t that husk of a person anymore, he was the type of person that would bring in every flavour of ice cream and mix them together for them all to eat - Peter still couldn’t understand why it tasted so good.

**“Yinsen!” Tony cries out.**

**“Watch out!” Yinsen says back.**

**The viewer can then see that they are at the cave entrance and the bald man fires his gun at Tony. It misses and hits the wall. Tony fires something from his suit and it also misses but causes a section of the cave to light on fire. The bald man is not seen so the viewer can assume he is lying in the rubble.**

**Tony goes over to Yinsen.  
** **  
** **“Stark,” Yinsen said, out of breath.**

**Tony lifts his helmet, “Come on. We got to go. Move for me, come on. We got a plan. We're gonna stick to it.”**

**“This was always the plan, Stark.”**

No, that couldn’t be it. Peter was never told that Yinsen knew he was going to die when he got into this big plan. Tony only agreed because he thought that he could get them both out and safe - Peter’s eyes were wide with shock as he continued to watch the memory unfold.

**Tony lets out a shaky laugh, “Come on, you're gonna go see your family. Get up.” He looks like he sincerely means what he is saying.**

**“My family is dead.”**

**A pause.**

**“I'm going to see them now, Stark. It's okay. I want this. I want this.”**

**“Thank you for saving me.”**

**“Don't waste it. Don't waste your life.”**

Peter looked around to see many people’s faces bleached of colour. He knew that most of them in the room had experienced death in some form - he had to deal with his parents and Ben’s death - and it was only human for them to grow attached to a man they never met.

Peter had always respected Yinsen in some way but Tony had never told him that Yinsen knew he was going to die from the start. Not many people were brave enough to go into a plan fully knowing they were going to die, especially if it meant helping some person who was a jerk - Tony had been a jerk back then.

Tony’s face, at the moment, was steely. He never really outright showed his emotions but Peter could see it in the way he held Pepper a bit closer and the way he looked at Rhodey. He was probably remembering those moments. Peter felt himself choking up but didn’t make himself look away from the screen.

Even Shuri was silent as she stared at the screen. Peter had known that her father had died without her being there - all she had left was her mother and brother in the family department. If Peter remembered correctly, it was about two years ago so the wound would still be fresh to her. Hell, Ben had died almost three years ago. Shuri wasn’t the type to show herself crying, Peter could tell that much from spending this much time with her, so she just stared at the screen with a newly found light.

Peter knew this was a turning point in Tony’s life. It wasn’t him being taken by terrorists, it was Yinsen’s death and what it meant. Even though the cave still haunted Tony at night, it was Yinsen that drove the man towards a better future.

Yinsen better be proud of Tony.

**Yinsen’s breathing becomes ragged before he is silent forever. His head is resting on the cave floor peacefully, his jaw slack. Tony breathes out deeply but doesn’t get a chance to do anything further as he was interrupted by a sound - he glares in the direction of it.**

**The scene shifts to show that men are waiting outside of the cave with guns ready.**

**There are heavy footsteps that the viewer can assume is Tony Stark in his suit.**

**Before anyone can see the suit, the viewer can see the circle of light that is his arc reactor. The men’s faces go slack as his whole suit comes into full view.**

**They fire their guns at Tony.**

**None of them pierce the surface of his suit.**

**They stop their fire.**

**“My turn,” Tony said.**

**He doesn’t even have to aim his arms properly as fire blooms from them, reaching the men. The men scream in terror and run backwards and away from the flame. Tony waves his arms to make sure to get some better access and the viewer can see the flames reaching the soldiers even as they run away.**

**All of their luggage is on fire and their clothes are set a flame. The suit has a makeshift ‘face’ that makes it look like Tony Stark is indifferent to the situation.**

**Tony moves through the camp, setting even the weapons on fire. More men try to get a shot at him but their efforts are fruitless. However, the impact of all the bullets sends Tony to his knees. However, he keeps the fire going.**

**He gets back to his feet.**

**He presses a red button.**

**He’s flying.**

**Through all the reds and oranges, Tony’s suit can be seen flying through the centre of it.  He is flying higher and higher before the engines fail and he falls a good distance away from the camp.**

**You can hear him screaming as he falls, the air whistles as he goes closer to the desert, and he hits with such an impact that the sand flies in the air before settling back down.**

**Parts of his suit is scattered around him on the dry land, the air hazy with sand and heat.**

**Tony’s helmet is still on and moving as he groans from the pain. His suit’s arm is just a lot of wires that are barely holding themselves together so he waves them off before taking the helmet off.**

**“Not bad,” He said to himself amongst the wreckage.**

Peter couldn’t help but agree. He managed to get out of a cave full of weapons he made that were directed against him. He managed to do that. He even made an arc reactor, he made a suit that was powered by it, all by hand and scrap materials. Also, he had to do it under a CCTV camera that was always aimed at him, so he had to do it all in secret.

No matter how many times Peter heard that Tony was a genius - he was always blown away. No matter how many times he heard - and now saw - this story, he always loved it. Not because of how cool Tony was, that was a factor, but because even though he could have left Yinsen there, he didn’t.

Peter had idolised Tony when he was little. People would have called him a dead man back then. Ben had even tried to get Peter to find someone else to idolise but when the news came out that he was saved - Peter was ecstatic. He then searched for what happened and told Ben that Tony wasn’t as selfish as what people made him out to be. Ben and May, who always wanted Peter to find a better star to look up at, had some respect for the billionaire at the moment.

Peter had spoken to Tony about Afghanistan - well, Tony spoke about it with him whenever he felt he was ready. Tony felt like it was a million years ago with everything that had happened. Even with the dreams that clawed at his mind, this wasn’t as fresh as when he almost died in Siberia. It was shocking - this was a moment that changed the world and it still felt like it was a century ago.

**The scene shifts to show Tony running with a cloth over his head to protect him from the desert heat. The suit is nowhere in sight as he had left that long behind. His pace is slow and his breathing is ragged as he continues to run.**

**Then he can no longer run so he resorts to walking.**

**Two helicopters appear behind him.**

**“Hey!” Tony lifts his arm at them to get their attention. He is laughing out of relief and waving that one arm in happiness.**

**Tony stark collapses to his knees, that arm still raised in his arm with a peace sign, in the desert. His arms are full of grime and blood but his smile isn’t hindered from the sight of finally being able to go home.**

**Rhodey and six other men run to him.**

**Rhodey looks as if he was dreaming, his jaw slack at the sight of his long-time best friend. “How was the fun-vee?” He said, making a reference to what Tony had said at the beginning of the movie.**

“You probably don’t know how much I hated myself at that time you were in there. I wasn’t a good friend, I was more like a nagging mom for you. So it was hard for me to know that you were going to die and that your more recent memories of me were of me being mad at you.” Rhodey said, his voice cutting through the dismal mood.

“I thought you were indifferent?” Tony tried for humour but evidently failed when Rhodey looked like he wasn’t having it. “Pete told me that there were different types of friends - so even if you were a nagging mom, it doesn’t change the fact that I saw and still see you as my brother. All the people around me just want the best for me - I was just too stupid back then to listen to you all.”

“But I could have been more - I don’t know… Less rough with you? I don’t want you thinking that I’m the friend you wouldn’t want to talk to when you’re in trouble.” Rhodey said.

“That’s the last thing he thinks,” Pepper said. “Do you know the number of times he wakes up from a nightmare and his first instinct is to call you? Any time he’s in trouble, or having the time of his life, he calls you.”

**Tony smiles, not even trying to reply.**

**Rhodey rests his arm on Tony’s shoulder, “Next time, you ride with me, okay?”**

**He makes Tony lean into him and they hug, Rhodey’s face relieved that his friend was okay before he starts to cry.**

Peter knew how that felt. He remembered going back to Ned - who honestly thought Peter had died when he wasn’t responding when he was trapped under a building - and his best friend hugged the life out of him. Ned had tried to joke with him about his bad driving but Peter had been too stunned by what had happened to respond. Ned had then just hugged him because it was at that moment that his friend realised how tough life as a superhero would be.

Neither he or Peter thought that he would almost die.

However, Ned didn’t try to talk him out of being a superhero. He made Peter promise him to find a way to make sure he got to contact him no matter what. He wanted to make sure that he would be there with Peter - to make sure that even if Peter’s in trouble, he could somehow help.

**The scene shifts to Pepper and Happy waiting for Tony to get out of a plane. Pepper’s hair is a mess and her eyes are puffy but she stands tall and still as she waits for Tony to get out. Happy stands by the car, his eyes hiding behind a pair of sunglasses but his stance is tense as he waits for Tony.**

**A ramp lowers down from the plane and Tony gets out of the wheelchair with Rhodey’s help.  His arm is in a sling and he is no longer as grimy as he was before - he was even wearing a suit. Rhodey is helping him stay up, making sure his best friend wasn’t in any pain.**

**“Watch it, coming up here,” Rhodey warned Tony.**

**“Are you kidding me with this?” Tony asked as a stretcher comes into view. “Get rid of them.”**

**The stretcher goes away.**

**Pepper doesn’t even try to hold back her smile when Tony looks at her, she’s even biting her lower lip out of relief and happiness.**

**“Hmm,” Tony said as he reached her. “Your eyes are red. A few tears for your long-lost boss?”**

**“Tears of joy,” Pepper said, her voice thick. “I hate job hunting.”**

**“Yeah, vacation’s over,” Tony said.**

“You know I was only joking, right?” Pepper whispered at Tony.

The atmosphere in the room had gotten a lot lighter than it had moments ago. Peter supposed it was because Tony had finally gotten away from that cave. There was proper lighting from the sun, he was with Pepper, Rhodey and Happy. The tone of the movie was dreary yet cheerful as if they were happy that Tony Stark was safe.

“You were?” Tony said. He honestly looked surprised. “I thought -”   


“How are you meant to be a genius when you couldn’t tell that she was happy for you?” Clint snorted. “I gotta admit, Pepper could have said anything, and she said that yet I could still understand what she meant. You got yourself a keeper.”

“Thanks? You're my dad, now?” Tony furrowed his eyebrows in a joke.

“With all the kids I have, you might be.” Clint snorted, Peter noticed he wasn’t that tense with Tony anymore.

**Tony and Pepper sit at the back of the car with Happy at the wheel.**

**“Where to, sir?” Happy asked.**

**“Take us to the hospital, please, Happy.” Pepper began.**

**“No.” Tony interrupted.**

**“No? Tony, you have to go.”**

**“No is a complete answer,” Tony said, looking at her.**

**“The doctor has to look at you.”**

**“I don't have to do anything.”**

**“I've been in captivity for three months.” That silences Pepper. “There are two things I want to do. I want an American cheeseburger. And the other -”**

**“That’s enough of that,” Pepper said.**

**“...is not what you think. I want you to call for a press conference now.”**

**“Call for a press conference? What on Earth?”**

**“Hogan, drive. Cheeseburger first.”**

**The car arrives at a rather important looking destination so the viewer can assume that Tony got his cheeseburger and this is the press conference. People are clapping as the car comes to a stop.**

**Obadiah is there.**

**“Look at this!” Obadiah said as he opened the door for Tony. “Huh?”**

**Tony hugs the man after three months of not seeing him.**

Peter and anyone on Earth knew what this man was  - a jerk. If he truly cared for Tony, he would have been there when the plane landed and not where a lot of cameras and people were. If he truly cared for Tony, he wouldn’t have done what he had done.

**“We were going to meet at the hospital.” Tony turns around to see Happy giving him a cheeseburger. He reaches in the bag and retrieves what he needs.**

**“No, I’m fine,” Tony said in reply.**

**“You had to have a burger, yeah?”**

**“Well, come on.”**

**“You get me one of those?” Obadiah asked about the burger.**

**“There's only one left. I need it.”**

**The conference room is full as they enter it, people erupt into a round of applause. Tony takes in the people’s claps with pride and Pepper just smiles at the sight. She stays at the back when a small man said, “Miss Potts.”**

“ _ What _ ?” Steve said, stretching the word out.

“Coulson?” Bruce tilted his head.

“Long story which I think this thing is going to explain.” Pepper waves their questions off.

**“Yes?” Pepper said, a cue for him to talk.**

**“Can I speak to you for a moment?”**

**“I'm not part of the press conference, but it's about to begin right now.” She clearly thought that Coulson was a news reporter.**

**“I'm not a reporter.” He said with that smile of his. “I'm agent Phil Coulson, with the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division.”**

“Is that what SHIELD stands for?” Peter asked.

“What’s SHIELD?” Quill asked. “Can I take it?”   


“It’s gone and broken, my friend. You wouldn’t have wanted it, anyway.” Tony snorted. “And, yes, it’s what it stands for. I try and forget - it’s a mouthful.”

**“That's quite a mouthful.” Pepper doesn’t seem alarmed that an agent is speaking to her. Phil hands her a card and she takes it.**

**“I know,” He said. “We’re working on it.”**

**“You know, we've been approached already by the DOD, the FBI, the CIA…” Pepper trailed off.**

“You say that like it’s normal,” Bruce said, alarmed. “Really? For the weapons or your brain? It sounds awful.”   


“Says the brave man who ran away from the government for the longest time,” Tony said. The compliment made Bruce flush but the man didn’t shy away from the eye contact. “Both, I suppose. We shut the offers down right away.”   


“How? We’re getting offers now, too, now that Wakanda is public. We might be advertising but we don’t want any of that.” T’Challa said, spinning around on his butt to face Tony. “They don’t have to say it but I can tell they want a lot of vibranium - I can tell you now, that doesn’t grow on trees.”

“You’re going for the nice guy look, aren’t you?” Tony narrowed his eyes at him. “Just say you have ties with me - that should give them a hint that it’s not a good idea to get in with you since I hate them all.”

T’Challa mulled it over and Shuri nodded at her brother vigorously. “You don’t have to think - it’s a great idea. We could even make a proper collaboration with him. Two of earth’s most smartest people - three if you count his son - and what more can you ask? We probably could figure out ways to get more vibranium.”

“I don’t have a son -”

“Mr. Stark, please? We can visit Wakanda and everything! I can make those lightsabers we were talking about and you can get those clothes!” Peter grabbed his arm.

“How about it?” Tony raised a brow at T’Challa.  
  
“Deal.” The King nodded. “As soon as we get out of here, we’ll write up a contract and see if you like it.”   


“Speaking of, does anyone know how to get out? It’s been about forty minutes.” Vision piped up.

“I was thinking about going with the flow.” Rocket shrugged. “We all have nothing better to be doing and we’re here for a reason. So we should just go with it and see what happens.”

Everyone nodded in agreement, eventually.

**“We're a separate division with a more specific focus,” Coulson said.  “We need to debrief Mr. Stark about the circumstances of his escape.”**

**“I'll put something in the book, shall I?”**

“Did you mean that?” Gamora asked. “Or was that plain lying.”   


“Lying. Government officials aren’t very great on our planet.” Pepper shrugged. “Now, I don’t know what I would have done. They helped Tony out but they also stressed and hurt him a lot.”

“Governments on other planets are bad, too,” Gamora said. “But it’s sometimes better than having plain anarchy.”

“Keyword: sometimes,” Drax said.

“What is that supposed to mean?” Mantis blinked owlishly.

“Asgard had a pretty good system for a while,” Thor said after a moment. “Though, now we’re just crammed on a ship and trying to get to safety. Loki isn’t making it any better with all the pranks he’s done - he pretended to be a crate for a week because he didn’t want to talk to anyone.”

“You have to stop with all of this teasing. Just tell us, man.” Rhodey said.

“Nope, this is -” Thor began.

“Tony’s moment, we get it.” Wanda rolled her eyes playfully.

**“Thank you,” Coulson said before meandering off.**

**Obadiah stands at the microphone saying ‘ah’ to test it, maybe. Tony is leaning against the podium, “Hey, would it be all right if everyone sat down? Why don't you just sit down? That way you can see me, and I can… A little less formal and...” He takes a bite out of his cheeseburger as the audience sits down, Obadiah sits with him.**

**“What's up with the love-in?” Rhodey asked Pepper as he sits by her.**

**“Don’t look at me, I don’t know what he’s up to.” Pepper smiles.**

**“Good to see you,” Tony said to Obadiah who has a very large grin on his face - a little too large.**

**“Good to see you,” He replied.**

**“I never got to say goodbye to Dad,” Tony said to the audience. “I never got to say goodbye to my father.”**

**He puts the cheeseburger down.**

**“There's questions that I would have asked him. I would have asked him how he felt about what this company did. If he was conflicted, if he ever had doubts. Or maybe he was every inch the man we all remember from the newsreels.” Tony said, the camera shows Pepper and Rhodey with proud smiles.**

**“I saw young Americans killed by the very weapons I created to defend them and protect them. And I saw that I had become part of a system that is comfortable with zero accountability.”**

That was one of the major reasons that Peter knew Tony prided responsibility - it was because the modern day world didn’t have it. Not many people would own up to their actions or even think ahead in the future to be responsible in the present. Out of all of his conferences, this was tied to be Peter’s favourite along with him revealing he was Iron Man.

**“Mr. Stark?” Someone said from the crowd.**

**“Hey, Ben,” Tony said in his direction.**

**“What happened over there?” Ben asked.**

**“I had my eyes opened.” Tony stood up and moved behind the podium. “I came to realize that I have more to offer this world than just making things that blow up. And that is why, effective immediately, I am shutting down the weapons manufacturing division of Stark International.”**

Yeah, that was another reason Peter loved this conference. Tony got rid of that division.

**The crowd stands up with questions. Pepper looks shocked, mouth agape.**

**“Until such a time as I can decide what the future of the company will be.” Tony adds. Obadiah is also speaking into the microphone to stop the conference. “I think we're gonna be selling a lot of newspapers. What direction it should take, one that I'm comfortable with and is consistent with the highest good for this country, as well.”**

**Tony is led off the stage and Rhodey looks conflicted.**

**“What we should take away from this is that Tony's back! And he's healthier than ever.” Obadiah said into the microphone when Tony was a good distance away into the crowd. “We're going to have a little internal discussion and we'll get back to you with the follow-up.” His voice fades into the background.**

“Okay, I have to say, that was bad. Obadiah could have been happier.” Quill frowned. “He’s meant to be your dad or something, right? He should stand by your decisions.”

“Both he and my dad were dicks.” Tony shrugged. “I should have noticed at that moment that he wasn’t what a dad was. No, I should have realised it a long time ago.”

Quill looked like he was taking a good long thought or looking back at a memory. From the time Peter had spent with him, he knew that Quill thought of family like it was worth more than diamonds. Peter didn’t know his story but he was pretty sure it was sensitive, the scene must have triggered some memories for him.

“Can you - can you tell me how Howard was like?” Steve asked. “I mean, I went into the ice after speaking to him and he was one of the best men I’ve known. Then I wake up to see you, his son, speaking like he’s the devil. This,” He gestured at the screen, “Kinda hints at it but - can you? I think it might help me - us - I keep pushing his personality on you and I know you’re different and he was different, especially from how you act.”

“He treated me like I didn’t exist,” Tony said. “He always wanted me to grow up to be just like you - forced my room to have everything related to you in it. He left me alone - it was as good as abandoning me for you since he believed you were out there somewhere. I made things because I was lonely and instead of realising what he did or praising me, he went straight to tell the world. He never read me bedtime stories, he sent me to boarding school because he didn’t want me near him. I know there was verbal abuse somewhere in there.” He took a deep breath. “But I can’t even be mad at him for what I became. I dealt with it bad, too. I could have turned out better but I was a raging alcoholic.”

“But you’ve changed, too,” Clint said. “No one’s going to deny that you were some kind of monster back then. Your dad wasn’t the best - in my opinion, he’s very low down on the list. And I’m a dad. You could have let all of it get to you and you did but you got your head out of all that junk and became happy. It’s okay to blame him - you managed to change to someone better, he could have done so, too.”

“Yeah, Howard sounds like a jerk.” Scott piped up. “Hank keeps talking smack about the Starks but I can tell he really means your father. I can’t even understand why he did all of that. If it was PTSD from the war, people got help for that - heck, even Cap is. Peggy was still looking for Cap and managed to spend time with her kids - why couldn’t he? It all sounds so stupid - I make sure to be there for my daughter, even on house arrest. He should’ve given you all his attention, too.”

“That’s why I’m breaking the cycle of shame,” Tony said, looking at Peter with those words he said two years ago.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That was embarrassing - I thought I uploaded this a while back but I didn't? I got a notification from AO3 that it would be a good idea to make another chapter and it sounded weird since I did - then I looked and I didn't?
> 
> So here it is?
> 
> Sorry for the wait?
> 
> How was all of your week been doing? I slept and rewatched all of the Endgame trailers and Spider-man trailers. What are your thoughts on the rerelease? I'm probably not going to go since my dad wouldn't let me see Spider-Man, then, but I'll try to see it at some point. 
> 
> Feel free to point out any mistakes! I don't know much of their histories since I only watched the movies and haven't gone on a marathon in ages so some things might've slipped my mind. Don't be afraid to comment on it!


	8. Romantic?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “That could be taken out of context in many ways.” Clint whistled and Natasha elbowed him.

**Obadiah rides through a parking lot to see Happy leaning against the car with sunglasses on. Obadiah doesn’t look very happy and seems to have a cigar in his mouth.**

**“Where is he?” Obie asked.**

**“He’s inside.” Happy replied.**

**Obadiah uses his card to get access to the building before walking inside. Tony is standing by a metal fence surrounding a very large arc reactor that his father had created. Obadiah puts his hands on his hips, standing a bit far away from Tony, as the billionaire turns to face him.**

**“That, uh,” Obie begins, “That went well.” He said before moving closer to Tony.**

**“Did I just paint a target on the back of my head?” Tony asked.**

**“Your head? What about my head?” Obie retorted. “What do you think the over-under on the stock drop is gonna be tomorrow?”**

“Is he actually talking about stock drops?” Bruce inquires in shock.

“To be honest, even to this day, I don’t know if he was actually serious about that or not.” Tony shrugged. Peter knew what he meant - was that an act to make Tony continue being a weapon’s developer or was it just something else?

“He still hasn’t properly asked you if you were all right,” Gamora said. “My father,” She looked uncomfortable at that word, “Wasn’t the best, either, but he would always ask me if I was alright.”

“As I said, all of the people I considered to be my dad were jackasses.” Tony shrugged. “I don’t need one, anyways, I have these guys.”

“And Happy and May,” Peter added. “You can’t forget them. Wait - what do you think they’re doing right now?”

“Happy is probably flirting with her.” Rhodey snickered at Peter’s groan.

It had been a strange time when Peter had seen their way of flirting. Peter wouldn’t say that he was protective of May - it only happened with people he didn’t know so well or when people made comments about her. He knew Happy so Peter knew there was nothing wrong - Ben would have wanted them all to be happy, even if it meant that May got herself someone she liked and Peter found a new pair of parental figures.

“Who says time is even running outside of here?” Thor asked which earned some strange looks. “It isn’t the weirdest thing to happen, you know. You have two super soldiers, Brucie can turn into the Hulk, I’m a God, we also have two aliens here. I’m pretty sure I met a wizard on Earth when I was looking for my dad.”

“You know, you go on way too many adventures,” Sam said. Peter checked back in his mind to remember whether they knew each other - they didn’t. But Sam seemed like a pretty chill guy, someone that wouldn’t mind speaking to new people. Peter would like to say he was the same but when he spoke to new people, his awkwardness multiplied by a hundredfold. “You still haven’t told us yet.”

“He can tell us when we all get together for that card lesson I’ll be doing. He can tell us his stores on our breaks.” Scott piped up.

“That sounds like a wonderful idea.” Thor clapped. “Name?”  
  
“Scott Lang.”

“He means your dad’s name, too,” Natasha added.

“Uhh…”

“Nevermind that - you are amazing. You shall be my new friend. In the next movie, you must sit with me.” Thor said.

“Sure,” Scott looked impressed with himself.

**“Optimistically, 40 points.”**

**“At minimum.”**

**“Yep.”**

**“Tony,” Obadiah sounds serious, no longer dancing around the topic. “We're a weapons manufacturer.”**

**“Obie.”**

**“No.”**

**“I just don't want a body count to be our only legacy.”**

**“That's what we do. We're ironmongers. We make weapons.” Obadiah emphasises.**

**“It's my name on the side of the building.” Tony retorted.**

**“And what we do keeps the world from falling into chaos.” Obadiah continued.  
** **  
** **“Not based on what I saw,” Tony said, silencing him. “We’re not doing a good enough job. We can do better. We're gonna do something else.”**

**“Like what?  You want us to make baby bottles?”**

**“I think we should take another look into arc reactor technology.” The camera pans to show a wider view of the arc reactor behind them.**

**“Come on. The arc reactor, that's a publicity stunt!” Obadiah joked but Tony looks serious. “Tony, come on. We built that thing to shut the hippies up!”**

**“It works.”**

**“Yeah, as a** **_science project_ ** **,” Obadiah said. “The arc was never cost effective.**

**We knew that before we built it.” Throughout his speech, he keeps circling around Tony. “Arc reactor technology, that's a dead end, right?”**

**“Maybe.”**

**“Am I right? We haven't had a breakthrough in that in what? Thirty years.”**

**“That's what they say,” Tony said uncharacteristically quiet. “Could you have a lousier poker face? Just tell me, who told you?” The viewer can assume he’s talking about his own arc reactor and that Obie somehow knows about it.**

**“Never mind who told me. Show me.”**

**“It's Rhodey or Pepper.”**

**“I want to see it.”**

**“Okay, Rhodey.”**

**Tony unbuttons his shirt to reveal the arc reactor embedded in his skin. Obadiah holds him by the shirt to get a closer view of it or to hide anyone else’s view of it. Whilst Tony looks serious, Obadiah looks happy at the sight of it - he was even laughing.**

“What is going through that creepy man’s head?” Wanda mused.

“If my archives are right - he’s thinking about profit.” Vision said.

“Vision!” Peter gasped and swirled around to face him. “Right - how does it feel to hear JARVIS? I know you don’t know him but he’s also a part of you and people must compare him to you all the time -”

“Peter, it does feel strange.” Vision said. “I personally don’t remember those moments but they are saved in me. It feels strange to hear my voice but for there to be no one actually there. Not many people have compared me to Vision in a while, actually. Thank you for asking about my welfare.”

“Not many people do,” Wanda said so quietly that Peter was sure he was the only one that heard.

It occurred to him that he hadn’t actually revealed to them that he was Spider-Man.

Though, he didn’t feel inclined to on many accounts.

One, like Thor said, this was about Tony and he didn’t want to take that away from him. This was a moment for the others to really see him - if he revealed he was Spider-Man, it might go downhill. Two, he didn’t really trust them, either. They might be coming around to the idea that Tony was a human being, that didn’t mean they trusted Tony or him. It just meant they liked him.

**“It works,” Tony said.**

**“Listen to me, Tony.” He puts an arm around Tony’s shoulder to curl around to the back of his neck to draw him closer. “We're a team. Do you understand? There's nothing we can't do if we stick together, like your father and I.”**

**“I'm sorry I didn't give you a heads-up, okay?” Tony said, looking sincere. “But if I had…”**

**“Tony.” He interrupts him. “Tony. No more of this ‘ready, fire, aim’ business. You understand me?”**

**“That was dad’s line.”**

**“You gotta let me handle this,” Obadiah said, letting go of Tony. “We're gonna have to play a whole different kind of ball now. We're going to have to take a lot of heat. I want you to promise me that you're gonna lay low.”**

**The scene shifts to show a news channel talking about Tony’s announcement and telling him to ‘abandon’ his ‘ship’. Pepper is watching it and gives out a sigh. Pepper watches as the man wrecks a mug with a baseball bat to demonstrate Stark Industries’ new business plan and she winces in surprise.**

**“Pepper, how big are your hands?” Tony asks from a speaker on the Stark Pad. Pepper turns the sound down from the TV.**

“That could be taken out of context in many ways.” Clint whistled and Natasha elbowed him.

He hissed before it became a small wrestling match that Bucky was trying to ignore. It didn’t work out so well when Clint accidentally hit him where the sun doesn’t shine and Steve hit Clint on the head. Natasha narrowed her eyes at Steve to dare him to do something to her and Steve got the right idea and did nothing.

**“What?”**

**“How big are your hands?”**

**“I don’t understand why…”**

**“Get down here. I need you.”**

**Pepper enters his lab after punching in the code to the doors. She is met with the sight of Tony reclining in a chair, shirtless with his arc reactor showing. There are wires connected to him and he is holding another arc reactor in his hand.**

“I’m guessing the new one still has palladium?” Shuri asked.

“You’ve guessed right.” Tony nodded. “I knew it was a bad idea but what can you do? It’s the only thing keeping me alive - even if it was slowly killing me. And the video that had my dad explaining it to me? I didn’t have it until Fury gave it to me a year later.”

“Does this mean when you come to Wakanda, you’ll also be showing me how to make the new element?” Shuri asked.

“Sure does.”

“That’s cool.” She grinned. “It’s nice to hang around some intellectuals, you know?” He said, throwing a mocking glance at her brother.

“You’re the smartest person in this room,” Tony pointed out.

“That is also true.” Shuri nodded.

“How do you know that?” Steve asked. Peter knew it wasn’t malicious, it was just curiosity.

“She lives in a place that has vibranium everywhere, doesn’t that give her a head start?” Clint asked.

“No, it doesn’t.” Tony laughed. “Peter’s just as smart as me in about everything but, no offence, Pete, he isn’t a billionaire. Peter didn’t understand some of the tech until I explained it to him. Vibranium is the best material and she understands it the best and can make so many great things out of it. She could, as well, not have it and be great.”

“Also remember that we’re pointing out that she’s the best in this room,” Peter said. “And, no offence taken, Mr. Stark. There could be someone else smarter than her somewhere else. We all thought that Mr. Stark was the smartest person alive until Shuri popped up - there could be someone else. There could be someone else stronger than Thor, as well.”

“That’s saying something since Thor is one of Peter’s favourite non-science people,” Pepper said. “If you go Wakanda, do I come?”

“You can if you want,” T’Challa said. “I have a big feeling that two of my friends - Nakia and Okoye - would like you.”

Pepper nodded in satisfaction.

**“Hey.” He welcomes from his position. “Let's see them, show me your hands. Let's see them.”**

**Pepper walks towards him and shows him his hand by lifting them both in the air.**

**“Oh, wow. They are small. Very petite, indeed.” He said, twirling the reactor in his hands. “I just need your help for a sec.”**

**“Oh my God, is that the thing that’s keeping you alive?” She asked as she glances at the glowing circle in his chest.**

**“It was. It is now an antique.” Tony said. “This is what will be keeping me alive for the foreseeable future.” He shows her the one in his hand. “I'm swapping it up for an upgraded unit, and I just ran into a little speed bump.”**

**“** **_Speed bump_ ** **, what does that mean?”**

**“It's nothing. It's just a little snag. There's an exposed wire under this device.” Tony said as he takes out the current arc reactor. “And it's contacting the socket wall and causing a little bit of a short.” He gasps when it comes loose and Pepper reacts to do something but he quickly says, “It’s fine.” He hands it to her.**

**“What do you want me to do?”**

**“I want you to put it over there. That is irrelevant.”**

**“Oh, my God.” She says as she places it on a table.**

**“I want you to reach in, and you're just gonna gently lift the wire out.”**

**“Is it safe?” Her voice is an octave higher than usual from the nerves.**

“This must be the only time I’ve ever heard her voice go like that,” Rhodey said.

“Good, I don’t like being that nervous.” Pepper said.” God, I can already remember how it felt when I put my hand inside - Clint, don’t make another joke out of this.”  
  
Clint had already opened his mouth but stopped in time, though his mouth was still hanging open. Vision looked left and right before awkwardly leaning forward and closing his mouth for him. All the while, Clint just stared at him in confusion.

**“Yeah, it should be fine. It's like Operation. You just don't let it touch the socket wall or it goes ‘beep’.” Tony joked.**

**“What do you mean, ‘Operation’?”**

“Pepper, are you serious?” Peter gasped.

“I still don’t know what that game is,” Pepper muttered

“We’ll play it - I think I have it somewhere at home,” Peter replied.

“Which home? Our one or May’s one?” Rhodey asked. “I, too, want to see how this plays out. The last time we played Monopoly, the kid ended up turning it into a murder fest which Pepper won.”

“Those were dark times.” Tony shuddered. “Happy went shirtless for two whole hours.”

“Don’t remind me.” Peter groaned. “I have that image ingrained in my head.”

“At least May wasn’t there - we would have tagged team you lot and still would have won,” Pepper smirked.

“Peter, we’re the geniuses but she won,” Tony said. “Though it makes sense, we’re both shit at business.”

“I wouldn’t say that,” Pepper said slowly. “You managed to keep the company afloat for a while -”

“You made it better,” Tony interjected.  
  
“And Peter’s training is going well,” Pepper added.

That was right. After a long conversation between them all - Tony, Pepper, Peter, and May - they had come to the conclusion that Peter was the heir to SI. He needed some training and Pepper agreed to do it and it was doing well, in his opinion. It was also nice to hear it from her. Peter could never be as great as Pepper in running the company but Pepper had assured him that it didn’t matter because no one could have run a company as badly as Harry Osborn.

It was funny that Tony and Pepper made fun of the man without knowing that it was him that indirectly turned Peter into what he was today.

One day, he’d tell them.

Not now.

He was too busy stealing popcorn from Rhodey’s bucket - the man didn’t notice and seemed to flinch every time he noticed the bucket would turn empty too quickly.

**“It's just a game, never mind,” Tony said. “Just gently lift the wire. Okay? Great.”**

**“Okay.” She said. Her hand reaches into the metal cylinder in his chest but she hisses before taking it back out. “You know, I don't think that I'm qualified to do this.”**

**“No, you’re fine.” He said, looking at her intently. “You're the most capable, qualified, trustworthy person I've ever met. You're gonna do great. Is it too much of a problem to ask? 'Cause I'm…”**

**“Okay, okay.” She agrees.**

**“I really need your help here.”**

**“Okay.”**

**She takes a deep breath in before plunging her hand back into the cylinder and the room is filled with sticky noises and she groans, “Oh, there’s pus.”**

“You sound so disgusted right now.” Rocket laughed. “How much for one of them arc reactors?”

“They’re not for sale since it’s difficult to manufacture - especially when making the new element. But if you keep talking like that and making me laugh, I might personally make you one.”

“Great - the ship needs a better power source than the one we have now.” Quill grinned at the prospect of getting something so expensive for free.

“It would also be nice to not pollute every planet we get on,” Gamora added.

“That, too.” Quill didn’t look like he meant that.

**“It's not pus. It's an inorganic plasmic discharge from the device, not from my body.” Tony said, calm for the fact that someone has their hand in his chest and anything might go wrong at any second.**

**“It smells.” Pepper looks seconds away from either throwing up or crying.**

**“Yeah, it does,” Tony said in a teasing voice before his voice turns serious. “The copper wire. The copper wire, you got it?”**

**“Okay, I got it, I got it.”**

**“Now, don't let it touch the sides - AH!” Tony yells out when the wire hits the side as Pepper was pulling it out. “When you're coming out!” He finishes.**

**“I’m sorry, I’m sorry.”**

**“That's what I was trying to tell you before…” Tony said. The viewer can now see the wire as she has taken a majority of it out. “Okay, now make sure that when you pull it out, you don't…There's a magnet at the end of it!” She pulls out the magnet. “That was it. You just pulled it out.”**

**The monitors start to beep in the background.**

**“Oh, God.”**

**“Okay, I was not expecting…” Tony said. “Don’t put it back in.” He gently uses the back of his hand to push her arm away and she places it on the table.**

**“What's wrong?”**

**“Nothing, I'm just going into cardiac arrest 'cause you** **_yanked it out like a trout_ ** **…”**

“How are you so calm through this?” Scott asked. “Her hand was literally inside you -” Natasha put a hand over Clint’s mouth. “- and you’re making jokes whilst going into cardiac arrest.”   


“It’s kinda my thing, you know? Being calm in the wrong moments and being stressed in the wrong moments.” Tony grinned at him.

“Remember that time Happy almost hit you with his car?” Pepper asked which earned a slight shudder from Tony.

Peter hadn’t heard of this one.

“I think I was actually justified for feeling stressed at that,” Tony said simply.

“I, also, think that I had a right to feel stressed,” Pepper said.

“I, Peter, would like to know this story.” Peter raised his hand.

“I, Tony Stark - genius, billionaire, philanthropist - will tell you this story, totally as unbiased as I can, when we get home.”

“You took out the playboy bit of that.” Bruce laughed.

“Yeah, if I’m going to get married, I think I should,” Tony said. Peter had to restrain the look on Bruce’s face. “We haven’t caught all up, haven’t we? You’re just as confused by us as we are by you. We’ll explain after you and Thor explain.”

“Right - am I invited to the wedding?” Bruce asked.

“Well, you are, now. I honestly thought you were dead.” Tony shrugged.

“No worries, Stark, Brucie is all fine. He spent two years in an arena - and winning.” Thor grinned proudly.

“ _ What? _ ”

**“What? You said it was safe!”**

**“Hurry, take this, take this.” Tony hands her new arc reactor.**

**“Tony? It’s going to be okay.” She assures him.**

**“** **_What?_ ** **”**

**“It's gonna be okay.” She repeats, looking him in the eye. “I - I’m going to make this okay.”**

**“Let's hope,” Tony said. “Okay, you're gonna attach that to the base plate. Make sure you - YAH!” He said as she connects the wires inside his chest. The reactor clicks into place and Pepper still looks panicked. “Was that so hard? That was fun, right? Here, I got it. I got it. Here. Nice.” He says as he properly fastens the object in his chest.**

**“Are you okay?”**

**“Yeah, I feel great. You okay?”**

**“Don't ever, ever, ever, ever ask me to do anything like that ever again.” The sentence started off happy and jokey but her voice returned to her normal octave and she sounds serious about it.**

**“I don't have anyone but you.”**

**They just look at each other but the moment was too heartfelt that Tony must have felt uncomfortable as he made the what-can-you-do-face at her.**

**“Anyways.” He said as he sat up. He mutters an ‘ow’ as he disconnects the wires at his shoulders before hopping off the seat.**

**“What do you want me to do with this?” Pepper asked. She is holding the old arc reactor.**

**“That?” He takes a moment to look at it. “Destroy it. Incinerate it.”**

**“You don’t want to keep it?”**

**“Pepper, I've been called many things. ‘Nostalgic’ is not one of them.”**

“I have now realised that nostalgic is a good word but not the correct word,” Tony said. “Nostalgic fits but I think it’s meant to be sentimental, right?”

He was rewarded by a few nods.

“It doesn’t matter, I still think our moment was nice,” Pepper assured him.

**“Will that be all, Mr. Stark?” She asked, getting back to business.**

**“That will be all, Miss Potts.” He said before diverting his attention elsewhere. “He, Butterfingers, come here. What's all this stuff doing on top of my desk? That's my phone,**

**that's a picture of me and my dad. Right there. In the garbage. All that stuff.”**

**It wasn’t until the last second does he watch as Pepper walks away - with the old arc reactor in hand.**

“What are you going to do with that?” Mantis asked.

“The most romantic thing that this world could ever hope to do.” Pepper joked.

Peter looked at Tony as he actually  _ blushed _ . Tony played it off by looking down and ruffling Peter’s hand and pinching Rhodey’s side. However, they noticed and Pepper grinned at the sight of her fiance blushing.

“That’s gotta be something if it made the big guy blush.” Rocket whistled. “He did say he wasn’t sentimental.”

“I think that thing she made me was the cause of me being sentimental,” Tony said.

“That’s even cuter!” Mantis smiled widely at him.

Tony just awkwardly nodded back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for this coming out late - prom made my arms feel like jello!
> 
> It was fun - I can't dance so I compensated it by doing this weird/funny dance with my other friend who also can't dance.
> 
> Far From Home came out and I'm not watching it until a few weeks since I'm not that rich - barely can afford school lunches - but I can't wait for it. In my opinion, nothing can top Homecoming but people are saying this one tops Spider-Man 2???
> 
> DON'T SPOIL THE MOVIE TO ANYONE! UNLESS THAT ASK! AND IF THEY DO, ASK IF THEY MEAN IT!
> 
> I'll probably make a few one-shots to show the funny moments - like the Wakandan trip and the card trick get together.
> 
> I might add a little bit of a plot to this but I dunno, it all depends on how long this lasts and if I'm bothered. I'm a lazy teen.
> 
> We're going to go buy a DVD player so we can start a DVD collection - I'm not a movie kind of girl, you know? I have more books than anything else but I'm into Marvel - even the things not in the MCU - so I' planning on buying the DVDs.
> 
> I live in England but I come from another country which - I kid you not - plays Spider-Man every single day on the English channels. I can't understand my home language if it's spoken fast so I tend to go to the English channels so most of my home country like Spider-Man by default - also Ben 10, my country also likes Ben 10 on default, too.
> 
> What's your favourite superhero?
> 
> Mine used to just be Spider-Man. It's now him and Iron Man, can't get enough of both of them.


	9. Mark Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “I’m going to ask FRIDAY if she still has the footage.” Peter grinned.

**“The future of air combat. Is it manned or unmanned?”**

**Rhodey is leading a group of people as he speaks around a few planes inside a warehouse.**

**“I'll tell you, in my experience, no unmanned aerial vehicle will ever trump a pilot's instinct, his insight, that ability to look into a situation beyond the obvious and discern its outcome, or a pilot's judgment.”**

**“Colonel.” Tony’s voice cuts in. “Why not a pilot without the plane?”**

**“Look who fell out of the sky, Mr. Tony Stark.” Rhodey introduces him as Tony gives a few of them a handshake.**

**“Speaking of manned or unmanned, you gotta get him to tell you about the time he guessed wrong at spring break. Just remember that, spring break, 1987. That lovely lady you woke up with.” Tony begins.**

**“Don’t do that.” Rhodey tries.**

**“What was his name?” Tony wondered. “Was it lvan?”**

**“Don't do that.”**

**“They'll believe it. Don't do that.”**

**“Okay.”**

**“Don't do that.”**

“What the heck was that?” Peter asked. “Was I missing something.”

It was an understatement that he didn’t understand a thing that had just occurred.

“You sure are.” Tony looks like he’s about to explain what had just happened but earned a swift hit on the head by Rhodey.

“I still can’t get over your haircut,” Peter mumbled as he stared at Rhodey on the screen.

**“Give us a couple of minutes, you guys,” Rhodey said. The group moves away to leave the two friends alone together.**

**Rhodey doesn’t look mad, he even gives Tony a playful punch on the arm and smiles at him.**

**“I’m surprised,” Rhodey said.**

**“Why?”** **  
**

**“I swear, I didn't expect to see you walking around so soon.”**

**“I'm doing a little better than walking.”**

**“Really?”**

**“Yeah.” Tony looks serious and Rhodey picks up on it as he crosses his arms over his chest. “Rhodey, I'm working on something big. I came to talk to you. I want you to be a part of it.”**

**“You're about to make a whole lot of people around here real happy, 'cause that little stunt at the press conference, that was a doozy,” Rhodey said awkwardly.**

“Okay, listen. I was happy because he isn’t doing weapons. But I’m part of the military, what did you expect?” Rhodey said before anyone could call him out for it.

“To be honest, lots of people didn’t know how to feel about the conference,” Pepper said. “I was happy but I thought that something bad must have happened for Tony to change his mind so I was worried.” That ‘something bad’ was the almost dying part.

“My Uncle and Aunt were never really fond of you,” Peter said to Tony who had an understanding look. “They didn’t know what to think when I screamed that you quit the weapons business.”

“Well, I say it was one of the better decisions of my life,” Tony said. “That and making my own ice cream.”

“What about being engaged to me?” Pepper asked and Tony just grinned at her.

**“This,” Tony extends the word out awkwardly, “is not for the military. I'm not… It's different.”**

**“What? You're a humanitarian now or something?”**

“I have no excuse for that, though,” Rhodey said.

Yeah, Peter couldn’t think of something that would make him sound nicer.

“Let’s face it, we all began roughly. We’re better people now.” Natasha said simply.

Peter looked at her. He didn’t have any rough beginnings, he was only just beginning to start with. But he knew some vague details about her and it was nice that she wasn’t so… sharp? It was the only word Peter knew to describe her with. When he first met her around an hour ago, she spoke in sharp sentences and cutting looks but now she had mellowed out. Still had the scary looks, though.

**“I need you to listen to me,” Tony said.**

**“No,” Rhodey said. “What you** **_need_ ** **is time to get your mind right.”**

“Don’t worry, Rhodey,” Mantis said to him. “You were trying your best to be a good friend. We all know you wouldn’t say the same thing to him now if it happened again.”

“That’s a nice thought,” Quill said. “But it’s a good change of pace, you know? Not the ‘mind right’ thing. It’s just the change. It’s always so satisfying to see someone learn things.”   
  


“Like how you learned not to trust people who claim to be your father?” Rocket asked.

“Do you always have to go for the lowest blow?” Quill frowned.

“That wasn’t the lowest blow. He could have brought up that one time you carried a rock and didn’t know how powerful it was.” Drax pointed out.

“Or the time -” Gamora tried to start ut Quill dramatically laid down.

“I’m dead, give me flowers and leave.” He said.

“If you’re dead, how are you speaking?” Mantis asked and earned no responses. “Does anyone have flowers?”

“I think I have one in here.” Scott dug through his pockets and came up with a plastic flower. “I was working on more magic tricks bu you can mourn your friend.”

He threw the flower and Gamora caught it before giving it to Mantis. The alien was about to lay it on Quill’s chest and Quill sat up, grabbed the flower, put it between his teeth and wiggled his eyebrows at Gamora who rolled her eyes.

“He’s alive!” Peter exclaimed.

**Tony just smiled at him.**

**“It’s nice seeing you, Tony,” Rhodey said as he walked away, the smile was wiped off of Tony’s face by that time.**

**“Thanks.” He said quietly.**

“You know, that must have been tough, you know? You come back and you want to change the world and your best friend says no.” Sam whistled. “No offence, Rhodey, but it’s true.”

“You’re making me sound like some damsel, it all ended up fine.” Tony shrugged.

“Yeah, Sam, stop making this a crying fest.” Bucky elbowed him.

Peter was also noticing how Bucky was mellowing out, too. Peter just hoped that nothing would make the whole area so tense again. Peter, himself, had nothing to do with the fight but he would side with Tony but it would be so sad to see them all fight. And most of the people in the room didn’t know what they were fighting for.

“Who’s he?” Bruce asked, eyes on Bucky. It wasn’t rude, just nervous and curious.

“My best friend, James Buchannan Barnes. You can call him Bucky.” Steve said with a smile.

“I call him a Bit -” Sam began with a smug smile.

“Language,” Steve said.

“You have the worst language out of everyone here,” Bucky said with a sly, but small, smile.

“I can also confirm that.” Vision said.

“Wait, I just want to ask something,” Wanda said. “Thor, you said you wanted Scott to sit next to you in the next movie. What if there isn’t?”

“Come sit with me now,” Thor said immediately. Scott scrambled up to his feet and sat between Thor and Bruce. Wanda looked pleased that she did that and Peter was pleased, too.

It was good to see people getting away from their small circles and branching out. A god could totally hang out with an ex-criminal, in Peter’s opinion. It wasn’t the weirdest thing to happen - heck, he was an example. He was a working-class teenager that was paired with the billionaire Tony Stark.

**Tony is back in the labs in his house in Malibu.**

**He waves his hands over something and makes a hologram come up. It’s a sort of keyboard that his fingers immediately start typing with.**

**“Jarvis, you up?” Tony asked.**

**“For you, sir, always.”**

“That’s what my wife says to me all the time. You sure you weren’t in love with your AIs?” Clint asked.

“Sometimes, I ask myself that,” Tony said.  
  
“I ask myself that all the time. And not just with AIs.” Pepper said.

Peter never found Vision’s neutral face a bother but it was bothering him now because he wanted to really know if Vision had a problem with hearing Jarvis. Peter didn’t want to have Vision watch and listen if it was making him uncomfortable. Vision turned his face and gave Peter a smile - he must have known that Peter was worried.

**“I'd like to open a new project file, index as Mark Two,” Tony said to Jarvis.**

**“Shall I store this on the Stark Industries Central Database?”**

**“Actually, I don't know who to trust right now,” Tony said as he clicked a button and another hologram appears over a small table. The hologram is green and shows the Mark I being disassembled. Tony goes up to it to work. “Till further notice, why don't we just keep everything on my private server?”**

**“Working on a secret project, are we, sir?” Jarvis asked as the Mark I reassembles.**

**Tony doesn’t answer as he tilts the helmet and throwing something away in the holographic trash.**

**“I don't want this winding up in the wrong hands,” Tony said. He turns the hologram around and throws something else in the trash. “Maybe in mine, it can actually do some good.” He spins the hologram around.**

“You use holograms to plan?” Shuri asked. “I used to do that but it just wasn’t my thing, you know?”

“It became my thing after weeks of getting used to it. It’s weird going from borrowed paper to holograms.” Peter said.

He used to have to borrow paper from classmates because he didn’t want Aunt May to pick up on it. MJ used to be his go-to person but she had become suspicious and he had to just ask for paper from the teachers and take the spares home.

“I took a while to get used to it, too. Remember, I wasn’t raised with all this tech. I had to make it.” Tony said.

“I usually don’t do the planning stage, I just get right to it,” Shuri said.  
  
“Which is strange but it works,” T’Challa said. “Made my suit, the car, my shoes.”

“Your shoes?” Bruce asked.

“I call them Sneakers.” Shuri grinned and Peter had a slight idea of what the shoes could do.

“I’m designing my own pair so I can go around in the kitchen at night. In both houses.” Peter said. He didn’t want May or the others to wake up just because of his metabolism.

“Really? What materials?” Shuri asked. “I made mine with vibranium.”  
  
“With my web fluid,” Peter said. “It’s strong material and doesn’t make a sound unless it’s flying through the air. That makes sense because of air friction but if I’m walking, it should be fine.”

“You sure you should be saying that with me here?” Tony asked and Pepper raised her eyebrows up at Peter. “We could always just leave you snacks in your room for the night. I leave snacks by my work to eat.”

“He even offered me a blueberry when we first met,” Bruce said.  
  
“And me, good times.” Steve grinned.

**It’s the desert.**

**There is a man shovelling at the ground where Tony had fallen. There are many people walking around the site and the viewer can assume they’re part of the terrorist group that had kidnapped Tony.**

**One man picks up the helmet and lifts it to the sky and calls for attention.**

**The bald man, the one that should have died, turns around. He has burn marks on the side of his head and he is wearing goggles to protect him from the sand. The tip of his ear is also burned. The burn marks are red and still bleeding.**

**The man gives the bald man the helmet.**

**The scene shifts to show Tony working hard on a part of his suit. He has his machines helping him but he tries sends him away with a playful remark but it doesn’t hold any sting and the machine stays.**

**The scene shifts to show a camera facing Tony to record him.**

“Fuck. No.” Tony said with wide eyes.  
  
Peter can tell where this was going.  
  
“I’m going to ask FRIDAY if she still has the footage.” Peter grinned.  
  
“You send that to me,” Pepper said.

“And me.” Rhodey raised his hand. “Just send it to the group chat, I’m sure May and Happy would love to see this.”

“That and my reputation being ruined.” Tony sighed.  
  
“Since when did you ever care about your reputation?” Pepper asked.

“I thought you just liked being cool,” Peter said.

“You all are really plotting against me.” Tony scowled.

**“Okay,” Tony said with two machine parts on his feet. “Let’s do this right.”**

**The camera zooms in to his feet before zooming out a bit to capture his whole body. He is holding something to his hand that the viewer can assume is attached to the machine part to his feet.**

**“Dummy, look alive. You're on standby for fire safety.” Tony faces the camera which is being held by another bot. “You, roll it.”**

**“Okay. Activate hand controls.” Tony said after planting his feet firmly on the ground.**

**There is a whirling that is getting louder as the seconds tick by. “We're gonna see if** **10% thrust capacity achieves lift. And three, two, one.”**

**He flies backwards and hits the ceiling.**

Rocket bursts out laughing.

“Did you see that?” He wheezed. “He was so calm. So cool and collected. And he just! He just hit his head!”

The others were trying to contain their laughter but couldn’t help it when Rocket said that. Peter cleared his throat after having a good laugh, “Did it hurt?”

“That you lot are laughing at me? No, it kinda stings, though.” Tony said.

“I meant about hitting -”

“Duh, I don’t have any super stuff in me,” Tony said.

“You don’t?” Quill asked. “So you’re a superhero with no powers and you fly around in a cool metal suit? You know what? I can’t say anything. I just have a plain mask with no defence.”   


“You used to have powers.” Gamora pointed out. “But now you don’t. You might still have the biology side of it, though. Just because you don’t have powers doesn’t mean you can’t do other things. Holding that rock didn’t hurt you much and you weren’t using your powers.”   


“Nice theory but I’m not going to test that out,” Quill said.

**Dummy fires the extinguisher at him.**

“Does that to you, too?” Peter asked.

He remembered the time where he was alone in the lab since Tony was up making dinner. He had asked for help and when Peter turned around, he had been sprayed in the face. He had panicked because he didn’t know if it was okay to put it on his skin and he had ruined the lab.

He had panicked for a small amount of time before scrambling about to clean everything. Tony had returned to the room that was clean and Peter hoped that we wouldn’t see the trash can that was so full.

“All the time.” Tony groaned.

**Tony is at the computer again, typing and designing.**

“Is that a jukebox?” Scott asked. “Luis has a relative that has one - and I shouldn’t talk about it, he speaks about it too much.”  
  
“Who’s Luis?” Peter asked.

“My best friend, met him in prison. Great man. Owns a business that was sinking a while back.” Scott said. “You can see him when we do that card get together thing.”  
  
“That’s great.” Peter grinned. “We all have that one best friend, don’t we?”

Peter thought of Ned. He had met him back when they were in middle school. It wasn’t a school for geniuses so they were both bullied for being smart and Ned had shared a Kit-Kat with him - that was how their friendship started.

Ned would have loved to be part of this.

Peter wondered what Ned was doing, maybe playing Lego without him.

Did Ned think he was dead?

Did May think he was dead?

Peter shouldn’t think like that, none of them made a plan yet and he shouldn’t be panicking.

**He uses another hologram to design a bit of the arm and he puts his arm inside it to test it out. There’s a small circle in the centre that would be a flight stabiliser.**

**He continues to build the arm bit by hand and he watches as Pepper walks in with a box and a mug.**

**“I’ve been buzzing you. Did you hear the intercom?” She asked as she walked towards him.**

**“Yeah, everything's...** **_What_ ** **?”**

**“Obadiah's upstairs.” She said as she sets the objects on the table. Tony doesn’t stop working on the arm piece.**

**“Great. Great. I'll be right up.” He said. He lifts his arm up and there is a flight stabiliser in the centre of his palm, connected by the metal to the rest of the machine.**

**“I thought you said you were done making weapons.” She said.**

**“It is,” Tony said.**

“Aren’t you meant to say ‘I am’?” Clint asked. “No offence but you’re really bad at the English language.”   


“Well, let’s just agree that I’m better with science,” Tony said simply.

**“This is a flight stabilizer. It's completely harmless.” Tony explained.**

**He fires it. Pepper jumps, he’s blown away from the impact. Pepper covers her ears as things fly off the table.**

“I could make so many memes out of that.” Shuru loudly whispered.

**“I didn’t expect that,” Tony said as Pepper glared in the direction of where he is.**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the late update, things have been going shit in my life and I had to sort it out - still not better. My brother just got his SATS back and he did great, passed everything.
> 
> This is more of a softer chapter since nothing intense is going on so I thought I'd make them goof up a bit,
> 
> If you're the type of person that needs to eat/drink something to stay awake, what do you take?
> 
> I drink Pepsi Max - it's my sugar intake since I can't handle sugar in anything else. I'm literally running on it right now.


	10. Test Run

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “How couldn’t I? He was technically all I had left - well, that’s what I thought at the time.” Tony corrected himself when Rhodey gave him a stern look.

**Tony walks up the stairs to a fancy looking room. There is a glass partitioner that looks like there is water flowing around it and there are strange sculptures and painting around the place. There is some piano music playing in the background as he goes over to Obadiah - who is playing the piano. Pepper is sitting on the couch, the windows indicating that it is dark outside.**

**“How’d it go?” Tony asks. Obadiah just looks at him. “That bad, huh?”**

**“Just because I brought pizza back from New York doesn't mean it went bad,” Obadiah says as Tony opens up a box and Pepper continues to type away on her laptop.**

**“Uh huh, sure it doesn’t. Oh boy.” Tony says as he takes a piece for himself.**

**“It would have gone better if you were there.”**

**“You told me to lay low. That's what I've been doing.” Tony says as Obadiah gets off the bench and walks towards them. “I lay low, and you take care of all…”**

**“Hey, come on. In public. The press.” Obadiah sits on the steps nearby. “This was a board of directors meeting.”**

**“This was a board of directors meeting?” Tony asks, a little shock and confusion colouring his voice.**

**“The board is claiming you have posttraumatic stress. They're filing an injunction.” Obadiah says, very serious.**

**“A** **_what_ ** **?”**

“I’m just saying - I knew what he said but he decided to explain it anyway,” Tony said.

“He sounds like he’s speaking to a child and not a grown man.” Drax shook his head.

“To be fair, I did act like a little child with how little responsibility I had.” Tony shrugged.

“But - he should at least treat you like an adult,” Gamora said, speaking very intensely. “My father treats me like a little girl even though we both know I’m far from that, now. Not only is it degrading - it just shows he wants to have power over you, to keep you in check.”

Peter stared.

Everyone had father issues in this room.

However, the intensity of her words hit him. He had been lucky enough to have the fathers he did - they were all geniuses that would impart their knowledge onto him. They wouldn’t treat him like a child even when he was a toddler. Well, of course, they had to make sure he was safe and had adult supervision but they were never patronising.

So he couldn’t relate to Gamora on that front but he could tell that she was really upset about this. Throughout every scene Obadiah was in, she looked like she wanted to look away and sometimes she did. However, she held her chin strong and watched most of it with her fists and jaw clenched.

She must have had a really bad father.

And it looked like the type of relationship you couldn’t fix, either.

It wasn’t like with the Avengers - they just needed to talk it out. This was different. Gamora looked pained to even say that this man was her father and even though her voice was steady, her eyes were sad. It was something she and no one could fix.

“I never thought of it like that,” Tony muttered to himself.

“That’s also the thing with unhealthy relationships - you don’t realise many things until way after. Tell them, Clint - if you’re okay with it.” Natasha said.

“Yeah - I am.” Clint said though he didn’t but he pushed through, anyways.” My dad was abusive - it’s one of the reasons I want to be this great dad to my own kids. Like you, Tony. There were some obvious things my father did that I connected with abuse, you know? Like beating me and starving me. But I didn’t realise until much later that there were some other things. He would constantly heal my wounds even though he was the ones that made them - I thought he felt bad but it was just his way of making me feel like he cared so I would stay with him.”

“And they would buy you things to keep you quiet,” Peter said quietly.

Tony looked at him with concern and Pepper looked moments away from getting the answer from him. Thankfully, Rhodey saved him from saying anything. “So, all in all, Obadiah Stane is a shit person.”

**“They want to lock you out.”**

**Tony doesn’t look impressed but he also looks like he somewhat expected this bit also didn’t like it. “Why, 'cause the stocks dipped 40 points? We knew that was gonna happen.”**

**“Fifty-six and a half.” Pepper corrects, looking up from her laptop.**

**“It** **_doesn’t_ ** **matter,” Tony says. “** **_We_ ** **own the controlling interest in the company.”**

**“** **_Tony_ ** **, the board has rights, too,” Obadiah says, sounding stressed. Pepper’s face is unreadable, nothing showing up about how she felt in that moment. The viewer can’t tell if she liked Tony’s decision or not. “They're making the case that you and your new direction isn't in the company's best interest.” He is talking slowly as if Tony would crack any second.**

**“I’m being** **_responsible_ ** **.” Tony flares up. “That's a new direction for me, for the company.” Obadiah just gives him a somewhat forced smile. “I mean, me on the company's behalf**

**being responsible for the way that…” He’s saying this to Pepper as if he needs her validation on the topic. “This is great,” Tony says once he sees that neither of them are on his side of things.**

“May I add, I was both happy and unhappy,” Pepper says. “I hated that department but I also knew that it would have been bad for the company.”

“Said like a true businesswoman.” Rhodey teased.

“Though, you could have said that at some point,” Natasha said. “I’ve learned through the years that just avoiding stuff makes it worse.”

“I also very much regret not speaking up.” Pepper agrees with Natasha. “But, I’m saying it now, he  _ was  _ being responsible. On so many viewpoints. The business would have crashed at some point if he didn’t change since people are more into peace, now. And also that there are families that are dead because of it.”   


“I’m glad you stopped, too,” Wanda said. “Not just for my own family, but for others. It might have taken me a while to get around the idea that you weren’t the one that killed my parents. I just wish I could have told my brother that.”

Peter watched as Tony groped for words. Rare were the moments that Tony actually opened up about things - Pepper had said it had taken months for Tony to open up to her about his PTSD about New York - and here he was, attempting to comfort a girl that hated his guts less than an hour ago.

“Don’t worry about saying anything,” Wanda said - Tony looks kind of offended that she stopped him from making some speech. “I’m sure he can see us all now and is glad that we’re getting along. He always used to say that I held onto grudges too bad.”

“One thing I’d want to know is,” Clint said, trying to diffuse the sombre mood, “how your brother is going to react to you dating a toaster.”

Wanda thought for a moment as Vision looked both concerned about her answer and concerned that he had been called a toaster.

“Probably wouldn’t mind but would call him a toaster,” Wanda replied.

Peter really wanted to ask a question but he knew that they weren’t close enough for him to ask.

Tony had always said that Clint had a soft spot for Wanda and it was also obvious that it was the same the other way around. Peter could guess what sort of relationship they had - the same as his and Tony’s. All four of them didn’t have the talk about being family and were nervously toeing the line. Clint looked like he wanted to give Wanda his popcorn and she looked like she wanted to give him a sassy remark but both were refraining from doing so - it really did remind Peter of himself and Tony.

Yes.

He looked at Tony as a father.

He had been speaking with Ned a good few months after Homecoming and his best friend had joked about Tony Stark being his father. It was an obvious joke and they had both laughed it off but it stuck with Peter all week and every adult around him had begun to notice that something was bothering.

So May spoke to him.

They had been in the living room, watching Brooklyn Nine-Nine, when May suddenly snatched the remote from Peter and muted their television - a new one given by Tony who had been persisting on it for weeks until they gave in.

She hitched up her glasses when she finally said, “Now, kiddo, you want to tell me what’s up or do I have to call the police about a drug issue you’re hypothetically having.”

“ _ What? _ ”

“Come on, spill,” May said.

Peter now understood that she was using the shock tactic - to get his brain a little to weirded out so it would be easier for him to talk with her. He was still mad at himself for falling for it.

“You know my dad and Ben?” Peter winced. “Of course you know them, stupid me. It’s just - um - uh. What do you think they would think about Mr. Stark?

“I know your father thought of him as a very renowned person - even praised everything that came out of his mouth. He didn’t like Tony’s private life but from a scientist point of view, Tony was a god and of course your father liked him. Ben liked him too from that viewpoint but when we got you, we thought we should probably get you a new role model because of his antics - never worked.” May snorted. “They would probably like him even more now.”

“And what do you and mom think of Pepper?”

“Peter, honey, where’s this going? You might as well stop bullshitting at me.” May gave him a pointed look.

“Is it bad that I - I think of them as family?” Peter said after piecing it together in his head. “And not just like they’re the weird uncle and aunt of the family - like parents. But you’re also my mom. And my mom is my mom. And Ben and dad are my dads. But - I don’t know. Am I replacing you all with them?”

“No,” May said hastily. “I even look at them as your parents - and I’m your mother, too. Just think of it as your family getting bigger. Like three pairs of parents, Happy and Rhodey as your uncles, and Ned as your brother.”

“But -”

“It might be weird to some people,” May said. “Heck, if I wasn’t who I am, I would have thought so, too. But I’m happy that you have all these people in your life. Before you only had Ned and me. Now you have this whole big family.”

“Are you upset that I think of Pepper as a mom?” Peter asked though he could already guess the answer.

“Not at all. It’s funny - all your mothers have the same ‘don’t fuck with me’ attitude whilst all your fathers were geniuses.” May laughed. “I couldn’t have asked for a better mother for you - other than Mary and I. There are some things that I can’t do and everyone else can. Mary had the luxury of being just your mother but I had to be both an aunt and mom to you. Pepper and Tony help out with your superhero gig and parent you and I don’t know the first thing about that. Ben was always better at cooking for you and I know you want a home-cooked meal - it’s one of the reasons I’m glad Pepper’s there since she can cook.”

“What I’m saying is,” May said, “Pepper Potts is a great mother. And Tony is a great father. Ben and Richard were great. Mary and I were great. I don’t feel sad that you think of her like that - I would have been shocked if you didn’t, actually.”

So Peter would always privately think of Tony as a dad but would never actually bring it up. Even if he couldn’t do it for himself and Tony, he would try and get Clint and Wanda to talk about it. They deserve it after everything they’ve been through.

**He gets up but Obadiah tries to calm him down, “Oh, come on. Tony.** **_Tony_ ** **.”**

**Tony picks up the box of pizza as Pepper looks back at her work, Obadiah takes a swig of his drink as Tony begins to leave. “I’ll be in the shop,” Tony says.**

**“Hey, hey! Hey, Tony. Listen.” Obadiah attempts to catch the billionaire’s attention. He even gets up and touches Tony’s shoulder to stop him from getting away. “I'm trying to turn this thing around, but you gotta give me something. Something to pitch them. Let me have the engineers analyze that. You know, draw up some specs.”**

**“No. No, absolutely not.” Tony, his voice is very intense about this.**

**“It'll give me a bone to throw the boys in New York!” Obadiah tries to convince him.**

**“This one stays with me,” Tony says with a sense of finality that gets Obadiah to stop for a moment. His eyes are intense as he makes sure to maintain eye contact with Obadiah who, at several points, avoided his eyes from the determination emanating from it. “This one stays with me.”**

“It always creeps me out - the way he touches you,” Bruce said, looking uncomfortable. “It makes him seem less nice and more creepy.”

“It’s meant to be a psychological way to establish a connection between people.” Natasha sais. “Some unhealthy relationships have a lot of touching in them to make the other feel sympathy.”

“Did you sympathise with him?” Peter asked.

He could already imagine how creepy physical contact was like - he already had a lot of that in his childhood. And he was also very uncomfortable every time Obadiah touched Tony - he was torn between wanting to scream at the screen and shivering like a leaf.

“How couldn’t I? He was technically all I had left - well, that’s what I thought at the time.” Tony corrected himself when Rhodey gave him a stern look.

“I should have really told you what I thought about all of this,” Pepper whispered. “I’m meant to be there for you - even if we weren’t together back then. I should have realised how creepy that man was.”

“I think you were too distracted by looking after me to notice,” Tony assured her.

“And you really have to remember, you have a big family,” Pepper said. “You have me, Rhodey, Peter, the bots, your AIs. And in due time, you can get these guys back, too.” Pepper looked up at the rest of the Avengers.

“We’ll also be a part of this family,” Mantis spoke up. “You all are really friendly and nice. There aren’t many people like you out in space.”

“Yeah,” Rocket said begrudgingly. “We didn’t get along either, we were moments away from stabbing each other - Drax had that urge more than any of us, might I add. But you can tell they’re all solid people and you lot are, too.”

“Friends, I feel really bad for leaving you all behind,” Thor said. “I went off on a mission and didn’t even bother to check up on all of you - Rogers even has a beard, now.”

“And you have a new haircut.” Steve snorted.

“But, seriously,” Bruce added, “I ran away because I was scared. Now I realise that was a bad thing to do since I wasn’t myself for two years - literally - and everything’s so different, now. I could have helped all of you through all of this but I was a coward.”

“You weren’t a coward,” Natasha said. “I don’t make a habit by focusing in on bad decisions. You just wanted to leave because you thought you were a danger. Anyone would have done what you did.”

“And I feel really bad for the two of you,” Tony said, looking at Clint and Scott. “Just because of Cap and I’s petty fight, you had to go on house arrest when you didn’t even need to come since one of you are in retirement and the other just came because he was asked.”

“I’m not going to complain - I was practically at home all the time before that, anyways.” Clint shrugged but gave Tony a small smile.

“I got to spend time with Cassie and get my creative side on.” Scott shrugged. “I was practically in a sticky situation anyways since I have no job - now the government pays for my stuff until I’m off of it. It’s why I learned to do cards, it gets boring and I wanted to impress Cassie. I don’t want her growing up and thinking I’m a jobless idiot.”

“Is that all the mushy stuff done with?” Quill asked. “Because I really am getting teary-eyed.” And he was. “It feels like this whole hour was a bunch of confessions and it’s all really beautiful to see. I’m serious. All we need is some slow music in the background and everything would belong in a movie.”

“Anyways, what’s done is done,” Peter said. “May always says not to hang onto the past too much - it makes you look pasty, she says.”

“Wise words,” Rhodey said and Tony snorted.

**“All right, well, this stays with me, then.” Obadiah takes the box of pizza. “Go on, here, you can have a piece.” He opens the box for Tony. Tony reaches in for one and Obadiah suggests for him to take two though Tony only takes one. “You mind if I come down there and see what you're doing?”**

**“Goodnight, Obie,” Tony says as he jogs down the stairs.**

**The scene shifts back to his workshop, showing off his collection of cars.**

**Tony is once again wearing his technology as he talks to his bots, “Day 11, test 37, configuration 2.0. For lack of a better option, Dummy is still on fire safety.” He looks at Dummy he looks back at him. “If you douse me again, and I'm not on fire, I'm donating you to a city college.”**

**“All right, nice and easy. Seriously, just gonna start off with 1% thrust capacity. And three, two, one.”**

“I don’t like how you count down. It’s way too fast.” Peter frowned.

“Yeah? How would you do it, kiddo?” Tony raised an eyebrow.

“ _ Three, two, one _ .”

“Same here,” Shuri raised her hand. “No one should count down as fast as you did.”

“Two teenagers are ganging up on me. What has the world come to?” Tony mused.

**Tony hovers in the air unsteadily, the glow of the flight stabilisers a radiant white, though he isn’t that far off the ground. Dummy even lifts his head to watch Tony rise off the ground. Tony’s knees are bent as he moves unsteadily - the viewer can assume this is because he has little control over it. However, he easily lands back on his feet with only a bit of a stumble.**

**“Okay,” Tony says, a bit breathless. He hears Dummy whirl and turns to face him. “Please don't follow me around with it, either, 'cause I feel like I'm gonna catch on fire spontaneously.” Dummy’s head lowers. “Just stand down! If something happens, then come in.”**

**“And again, let's bring it up to 2.5,” Tony says. “Three, two, one.”**

**The sounds coming from the stabilisers are much more violent from last time but Tony has some control as he is still not that far from the ground. It is not like the time he hit himself on the wall.**

**However, he was moving in a random direction and his face screams that this wasn’t what he wanted.**

**“Okay, this is where I don't want to** **_be_ ** **!” He says once he circles around the place and is now near his collection of expensive cars. “** **_Yikes_ ** **,” He says in a very stressed voice as he hovers over the cars to get past them. Papers start flying in the air and he grunts at the sight of it all. He was also heading straight into a wall. He quickly raises his hands in front of him and he looks surprised that he actually stopped.**

**However, he started to move in the opposite direction.**

**Backwards.**

**He twists his body around to make sure he could see and he was nervously laughing - crying? - as he hovered by the papers again. “Could be worse! Could be worse!” He says to himself as he switches directions again.**

**He somehow managed to go back to where he had started, though he was facing the wrong way so he had to turn around again, before landing. He gives himself a little nod for either surviving or to congratulate himself.**

**Dummy lifts his head again and Tony raises a hand to stop him, “No! AH!” he says in a panic. Dummy gets the idea before putting his head back down.**

“Okay. I really have to ask.” Shuri said suddenly. “Why do you keep them when you constantly yell at them? Or why don’t you fix them?”

“I made them when I was a teenager,” Tony shrugged. “I specifically coded for them to go like that because teenage me was…”

“Angtsy?” Peter offered.

“Sure, whatever that means.”Tony ruffled his hair. “It was the first time that it really hit me that my father really must have not liked me. So I wanted them to cheer me up for when Rhodey wasn’t there.”

“And what about Pepper? When did she come into the mix?” Steve asked. Peter had to give him props for trying.

“Around a little while after I took the company in.” Tony didn’t even miss a beat. He smirked at Pepper before facing the room. “Does anyone here know Pepper’s real name?”

“Virginia.” Rhodey, Peter, and Vision answer.

“And do any of you know why I call her Pepper?”

“Yes.” Peter and Rhodey said. Vision must not have had that saved in his database.

“She was spraying Pepper spray at a few people and I decided to tease her about it. Let’s just say that didn’t make her warm up to me.” Tony said.

“Who would warm up to you when you name them that?” Quill frowned. “Though, I can’t speak - I call myself Star-Lord.”

“To make you happy, I think more people now know who you are.” Mantis gave him a sincere smile.

“Another question.” Wanda raised her arm. “I can’t keep up with all the geniuses in this place but how can we understand you?”

“There are translators in us,” Drax explained. “Most of us get them young. Especially if you’re going to go through the universe.”

“I have mine given on the first day I was taken up to space,” Quill said.

“You were abducted?” Peter asked in awe.

“Yeah, and you sound way too happy about it.” Quill frowned at him. “My dad - the one I see as a dad - would always say that when he found me, he had to stop his crew from eating me. Let’s say that all went even worse when I couldn’t understand them.”

“Not going to lie - that’s terrifying and funny,” Scott said, his face in shock but also moments away from laughing.

“Let’s say I find it funny now and not back then.” Quill nodded at him.

**“Yeah. I can fly.” He nods to himself.**

**There is a sequence where he is donning a new version of the armour, though it has no paint so it is just a reflective surface.**

**“Jarvis, you there?” Tony asks as he puts the mask on manually.**

**“At your service, sir,” Jarvis says in that silky smooth voice of his.**

**The viewer can see inside the mask, and a very good headshot of Tony Stark, as holograms start to appear around him. “Engage Heads Up Display.”**

**“Check,” Jarvis replies.**

**“Import all preferences from home interface.”**

**“Will do, sir.”**

**Tony looks about the room and little notes appear as he focuses in on the cars. The viewer can assume he can do this with any device he needed.**

**“All right, what do you say?” Tony asks Jarvis. He faces the exit and scans it.**

**“I have indeed been uploaded, sir. We're online and ready.”**

**“Can we start the virtual walk-around?”**

**“Importing preferences and calibrating virtual environment.”**

**“Do a check on control surfaces.”**

**“As you wish.”The suit starts to hide any bits that shouldn’t be seen like the bits where the wires could be seen. “Test complete. Preparing to power down and begin diagnostics.”**

**“** **_Yeah_ ** **. Tell you what. Do a weather and ATC check. Start listening in on ground control.”**

**“Sir, there are still terabytes of calculations needed before an actual flight is -” Jarvis sounds a bit panicked at the moment.**

“What did you two just say?” Clint frowned at the screen. “I couldn’t understand a thing you said. What’s an ATC check?”

“Aren’t you meant to be one of the best spies along with Nat?” Tony asked.

“Yeah - doesn’t mean I need to know shit about science.” Clint retorted.

“Then I guess you’ll never know what an ATC check is since you don’t need to know shit about science.” Tony rose a brow.

“Also, we do need to know science,” Natasha said. “Clint just overly simplifies everything. He calls poison ‘death juice’.”

“It’s what it is - there’s no use in hiding it,” Clint said.

**“** **_Jarvis_ ** **. Sometimes you got to run before you can walk.” Tony interrupts.**

**“Ready? In three, two, one.” Tony says as he gets into position.**

**He lifts off the ground and he leans towards the exit and blasts off. He zooms out the exit with a small ‘oooh’ and flies into the night sky with a ‘yeah’. He’s cheering himself as he sets into the sky like a firework.**

**However, his eyes are** **_really_ ** **wide.**

**“Handles like a dream.” He says to himself about the suit.**

**He flies to the nearest city, their lights golden in the darkness. His suit gives him notes about a Ferris wheel that he flies around. The suit zooms into two kids having ice cream and watching him. One of the kid’s ice cream falls off the cone.**

**He zooms in a random direction, accumulating speed, before shooting right up to the sky.**

**“All right, let's see what this thing can do,” Tony says. “What's SR-71's record?”**

**“The altitude record for fixed wing flight is 85,000 feet, sir,” Jarvis replies.**

**“Records are made to be broken! Come on!”**

**“Sir, there is a potentially fatal buildup of ice occurring,” Jarvis says as a warning sign pops up as Tony watches the moon.**

**“Keep going!” Tony ignores Jarvis. “Higher!”**

**The suit is slowly freezing over. The eyes’ lights flicker and something near his legs burst. He slows to a stop in the sky before free-falling.**

**“We iced up, Jarvis! Deploy flaps!** **_Jarvis_ ** **!” Tony panics. “Come on, we got to break the ice!”**

“He literally told you to stop and you ignored him. How are you mad at him?” Pepper asked. “Also, you never told me about this.”

“I said that I dropped my experiment.” Tony countered.

“Wait - that was why there were holes in the -” Pepper took a deep breath in. “At least you’re alive.”

“Yeah, I tend to do that, don’t I?”

“Also, I ignored Jarvis because I wanted to break a record,” Tony spoke up.

“Did you?” Drax asked, curious.

“I don’t remember,” Tony shrugged. “I would if I got a reward for it but I had to keep that test a secret so…”

“So this was how you tested out your stuff?” Peter asked. “Like it’s a realistic comedy?”

“What did you expect? For me to get it on the first go?” Tony asked.

“Yeah.” Bucky nodded - Tony didn’t even flinch.

“Well, you all overestimate me way too much.” Tony snorted.

Bucky and Steve both looked at each other before facing Tony. Steve had a very big smile on his face while Bucky had a small one that was slightly apologetic but also not.

“Tony, your father promised us a flying car. Where’s our flying car? You can make a suit that can fly so where’s the flying car?” Steve asked.

“Wait - Oh! I could have made flying cars.” Tony said in shock.

“Wakanda has things similar to flying cars,” T’Challa said. “Shuri said she would have made them actual flying cars but she wanted to minimise traffic so she had to use magnets to keep the cars in place. But they’re for everyone to use.”

“I bet you can make actual flying cars since you’ve had years to refine your thrusters.” Shuri grinned. “We can add that to our list of things to do when we get to Wakanda.”

“Can I invite Brucie over?” Tony asked and snorted when Bruce appeared to be flustered.

“Sure thing.” Shuri brightened up even more. “We get the original science bros and the to-be-science-bros.”

“Science bros?” Bruce echoed.

“You think we’re both going to be science bros?” Peter asked. “If we’re going to go that far, we should agree to make lightsabers  _ and  _ Disney wands.”

“Lightsabers that don’t cut anyone’s hands off, please.” Pepper and Tony spoke up along with T’Challa.

“I feel very ignored since I feel like I’m a hell of a genius.” Rocket said. “Though, I doubt we’d be stopping by Earth very often - we still have jobs.”

“Stop by any time,” Shuri said.

“Make me a gun and I’ll think about it.” Rocket narrowed his eyes on her.

“Make  _ me _ a spaceship and I’ll think about it,” Shuri said.

“I’ll give you the parts to make a ship.” Rocket said.

“Deal.”

“That’s how you can tell me and my brother were raised the same. We both know how to haggle.” Shuri grinned.

“Though, I do it less obvious than you,” T’Challa added.  
  
“That’s had to believe when you freeze every time your crush comes by.” Shuri snorted.

Peter couldn’t believe his eyes. Well, he had to expect it since they were siblings but they were bashing at each other. The smartest genius was mocking the King of Wakanda. That was both cool and shocking to see. Tony had said that everyone was so respectful of T’Challa whenever he stopped by in America and here Peter was, watching them bicker.

“I want a sibling,” Peter whispered under his breath and Pepper shifted.

It wasn’t the first time he had the urge to have a sibling - he always did. He had always nagged his parents for a little person he could dote over but they had - and he had asked May and Ben but he had been hastily shut down because they didn’t want kids but they were fine with him. He respected their decisions but always did want a sibling - also, he would never ask Tony that, that would be a terrifying conversation to have.

**Pieces of his suit starts to break apart as he gains momentum through the fall.**

**It isn’t until he’s seconds away from crashing into a road does the suit start up again and zoom away. Tony screams in happiness as he causes a man to swerve his car.**

**He ends his journey by heading back to his house and descending just outside of it by saying, “Kill power.”**

**He crashes through the floor and into the piano that breaks upon impact.**

**And through the floor again and breaks one of his cars.**

**And causes the car alarms to go off.**

**Dummy sprays him.**

**Tony’s head just leans back.**

“Is that what Pepper meant about there being holes?” Natasha asked with a twitching eye.

“Mr. Stark looks so done.” Peter busted out laughing.

“And you can’t even see his face - it’s just the helmet.” Shuri joined in on his laugh-fest.

“Ha. Ha. I almost die and you two laugh at me.”

“Yeah, but you’re alive. But - you do need to stop doing that.” Peter said seriously.

“Pot calling the kettle black.” Rhodey coughed into his hand.

“However, the kettle  _ is  _ back in this case,” Pepper said. “Both of you need to stop going into life-threatening situations.”

“Parker Luck.” Peter blamed.

“Stark Luck.” Tony blamed.

“And it gets worse when you’re together. Both of your lucks make a galactic explosion at times.” Pepper sighed. “You even made an earthquake.”

“Wait.” Shuri narrowed her eyes. “When was this?”

“Last month,” Rhodey answered.

T’Challa just stared at them in shock.

“You know we live in Wakanda, right?” Shuri asked. “And we tracked an earthquake down in New York and you’re saying that was the two of you?”

“Yeah?” Peter said, unsure of where she was going.

“We could feel the earthquake in Wakanda,” T’Challa said, looking horrified.

“I also vividly remember almost dying from an earthquake last month,” Natasha said.

“Same here.” Scott and Clint said.

“Even us.” Vision said, gesturing at Wanda and himself - right, they had run away together.

“Whoops?” Peter gave an awkward smile.

“Your damn Parker and Stark Luck.” Rhodey whistled.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the really late update. You lot remember how I said last time I was having a bad time? Still is going on. Took me a while to get the motivation to write this. I ended up getting really carried away and writing a little bit more than needed.
> 
> Sorry if it doesn't flow as well as the other chapters, I'll fix that when I edit the fic when I'm finished with it.
> 
> Funny story, I have this aunt - not really an aunt but she's my mother's friend - and she had a child in January. On that day, I had rewatched Spider-Man: Homecoming. So when I met him, I decided to call him Karen and his parents are speechless since he actually responds to me whenever I call him that.
> 
> One day, he's going to ask why I call him Karen and I'll say 'You're named after an AI that a boy named after Plankton's wife from SpongeBob'.
> 
> Would SpongeBob still be a thing in the future?
> 
> I treat him like he's my age - which everyone finds funny - and read him my YA books that my parents have never read and are shook at the plot lines.
> 
> Question if you feel up for it: What are you nicknames for the little kids that crowd in your life?
> 
> I got Karen, I call my brother 'Pudgy' and 'Boy-Who-Never-Listens-To-Adults', also call him 'Boba' as a short thing for 'baby brother'. Which means I call my little sister 'Sosa'. I have other cousins since my family's big but there's way too many to name.
> 
> Also, what do you guys think about deaf Clint? I can adjust it so I can add that version of him in.
> 
> HAVE A GREAT WEEK!


	11. Pepper and Tony

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Gleipnir,” Peter whispered, star-struck. “It exists?”
> 
> “I doubt it. Ragnorok already happened.” Thor shrugged.

**_Tony is walking through his workshop with an icepack on his head when he notices a package on one of his tables._ **

**_He places his mug of coffee down along with the icepack and the viewer can see a post-it note on the package saying FROM PEPPER._ **

**_Tony takes off the note and neatly unfolds the package with only a few tears._ **

**_It’s his original arc reactor. It is placed in a glass box and has the words PROOF THAT TONY STARK HAS A HEART around the thing. Tony angles it on the table so he can get a good look at it before his mouth quirks into a small smile._ **

“ _Aw_!” Peter smiled as he stared at the paused image of the screen. “You never told me that it happened like that!”

“You told him?” Tony asked, slightly abashed.

“Why shouldn’t I have?” Pepper asked. “It’s only natural that he knows.”

“It’s just - it’s meant to be -” Tony gracelessly searches for words.

Peter had always known Tony to be this composed man but there were those rare moments where someone could cause him to stumble over his words. Most of those moments were caused by Pepper and were happening a lot more frequently. Peter had caused a few but everyone agreed it was nice to see the normally so stoic man fumble over words as they normal humans did.

“Our thing?” She smiled.

“I even knew.” Rhodey piped up.  
  
“How could you  _ possibly  _ know that?” Tony demanded.

“You were drunk and gushing about her, man. What was I supposed to do? Shut you up?” Rhodey laughed but sounded very defensive.

“YES!” Tony said. “You were meant to shut me up, not listen to my thoughts.”

“And that would make me your friend, how?” Rhodey grinned. “All good friends need to pick up on the gossip - or that’s what Peter tells me.”

“It’s true.” Peter nodded sagely. “It’s the only way to make sure they’ll never leave you - threaten them with their dark secrets.”

“Should I be worried about Ted?” Tony joked.

“Well, the thing is, he has it all on me,” Peter said honestly. “Not that he’d use it against me but I hear I’m pretty much an open book.”

“I can vouch for that.” Shuri raised her hand.

“I also knew about the moment.” Vision said. “I have it in Jarvis’ archives.”

“I should have expected that. I don’t know why I didn’t.” Tony muttered.

“Does this mean you have dirt on him and you never told us?” Clint asked Vision, wide-eyed.

“Yes, I can show you the time Dummy had attempted to give him oil and how he almost drank it.” Vision supplied.

“You did that, too?” Peter asked.

“Too?” Tony echoed.

“Well, I thought he was being nice and bringing me coffee. Then I might’ve taken a sip then realised what it was.” Peter said sheepishly.

Tony pinched the bridge of his nose. “Stress. This is called stressed. Why am I stressed? Can you please stop being so - so - you?”

“No can do, Mr. Stark.” Peter grinned, though he did make a note of trying to do those stupid things less often or he could always not tell the man what he does.

**_The scene shifts back to the terrorists who are trying to understand what they have of the MARK I. They have sheets of paper in their hands that could only be the deciphered blueprints that Tony had made back in the cave. The bald man is smoking a cigarette as he watched people try to remake the suit._ **

**_The camera zooms into the silver helmet before it fades into another screen with the helmet as a hologram._ **

**_“Notes. Main transducer feels sluggish at plus 40 altitude. Hull pressurization is problematic. I'm thinking icing is the probable factor.” Tony says. He has an ice pack taped to his shoulder, the tape done messily and the pack slightly slipping._ **

**_“A very astute observation, sir,” Jarvis says sarcastically. “Perhaps, if you intend to visit other planets, we should improve the exosystems.”_ **

“Did talking to Jarvis ever feel annoying?” Wanda asked. “Vision is rarely like that, he’s a bit like a cuddly bear that doesn’t really understand us.”

“Never felt annoying.” Tony shrugged. “All my AIs are meant to be sarcastic.”

“Not mine,” Peter said. “Karen is no sassy bitch.”

“Language.” Tony and Steve said in unison. They both gave an awkward nod to each other before Tony explained, “Karen was meant to encourage you - not sass you to death like you do me.”

“The kid has an AI? Called Karen?” Sam asked.

“Look, I named her after this SpongeBob character, okay? It’s totally a legit name.” Peter puffed out his cheeks.

“But he has an AI when I run around in a t-shirt?” Clint asked.

“You never asked for an upgrade.” Tony pointed out.

“I doubt he did, either.” Bucky murmured, looking at Peter.

“It just means that he loves his son.” Thor brought up. “I would do the same for my brother if I knew how to work those Midgardian computers.”

“Does Nividellier actually exist?” Peter asked, suddenly having the courage to speak to Thor. “I mean - I like looking at the - uuhh - old gods so - Eitri?”

“Yes, it’s a planet.” Thor nodded. He seemed happy to be speaking about something like this. Peter wondered how many times he got to explain something he knew very well when he was surrounded by a bunch of Midgardians who treated him like he was stupid. “Eitri made my hammer though I like to remind people that he did make the rope that binds Fenris Wolf to that boulder.”

“Gleipnir,” Peter whispered, star-struck. “It exists?”

“I doubt it. Ragnorok already happened.” Thor shrugged.  
  
“What?” Peter asked, wide-eyed and shocked. “Why isn’t Midgard gone?”

“Well, I don’t know what your stories say but Ragnarok only occurs on Asgard.” Thor shrugged. “I have been explained that your knowledge of my world has been watered down by a lot.”

“What the heck just happened?” Sam asked as he looked back and forth between them.

“If I were to go to Nividelier, would I be able to learn from them how to build better things?” Shuri asked and Peter wanted to know the answer to that.

“I suppose you could but you would have to ask your guardians what they say,” Thor said. “I’ve been told I’m going to have to be a lot more responsible if I’m going to be king.”

Shuri faced T’Challa. Before she could say anything, he said, “Mother still exists so stop looking at me for everything.”

“Alright.” Shuri deflated.

“What about me?” Peter turned to Tony and Pepper. “Do you two and May thing I’d be able to go?”

Pepper turned to Thor, “How safe are your ships?”

“I’ve survived on those ships.” Bruce raised his hand.

“How safe is the planet?”

“Very.” Thor nodded. “I’m sure if Tony came, he can help me keep him safe - I still don’t know what Midgardians are capable of.”

“You hear that, bud? A trip with Thor.” Tony snorted. “All we need is May’s permission.”

“Who said I gave mine?” Pepper asked.  
  
“Or mine?” Rhodey asked.

“Do we have your permission?” Tony nudged Peter who gave them both his best doe eyes.

“Yes.” They both lamented.

A trip to Nividelier! Peter was very excited. The future looked bright: a get together with Scott where he will learn magic tricks, a while in Wakanda, and an alien planet!

**_“Connect to the sys. Co. Have it reconfigure the shell metals. Use the gold titanium alloy from the seraphim tactical satellite. That should ensure a fuselage integrity while maintaining power-to-weight ratio. Got it?” Tony says, almost in one breath._ **

“You just made up a bunch of words.” Scott shook his head.

“All words are made up.” Thor and Tony spoke up.

“I’d give you a high five but you’re halfway across the room.” Tony shrugged.

**_“Yes,” Jarvis replied. “Shall I render using proposed specifications?”_ **

**_“Thrill me.”_ **

**_“Tonight's red-hot red carpet is right here at the Disney Concert Hall,” Says the blonde lady on the screen off to the left. “where Tony Stark's third annual benefit for the Firefighter's Family Fund has become the place to be for L.A.'s high society.”_ **

**_Tony leans back in his chair to get a better look at the screen._ **

**_“Jarvis, we get an invite for that?” Tony asks, looking a bit confused._ **

**_“I have no record of an invitation, sir.”_ **

“I bet it was Obie.” Rhodey raised his hand. “He even told me you weren’t coming.”

“Same here,” Pepper said.

“Well, I guess that was an alright thing to do,” Tony said. “I hate that I think he made a good call on that.”

“Never thought you’d say that but can I ask why you agreed with him?” Steve asked.

“Even if I never said it, I did have PTSD. So not going would be better for everyone around, especially me.” Tony shrugged.

“But he went.” Pepper sighed.

“Yes, I _did_ ,” Tony said smugly.

**_Tony picks up the helmet, just the front plating of it, and takes a good look at it. The news is still droning on in the background as he flips it around to see the back and puts it on his face. Tony looks at the screen through the faceplate as the news shows an image of the press conference._ **

**_“Some claim he's suffering from posttraumatic stress,” Tony takes off the mask to look at the screen in either disgust or shock. “and has been bedridden for weeks. Whatever the case may be,_ ** **no one** **_expects an appearance from him tonight.” Tony’s lips quirk in distaste._ **

**_“The render is complete,” Jarvis says and Tony looks back at the computer screen. It’s the suit, labelled MARK III, but it’s all gold._ **

**_“A little ostentatious, don't you think?”_ **

**_“What was I thinking? You're usually so discreet.”_ **

**_Tony looks at the car he had been repairing earlier on in the movie. He sees the red flames and the black as he says, “Tell you what.  Throw a little hot-rod red in there.”_ **

**_“Yes, that should help you keep a low profile.” A pause. “The render is complete.”_ **

**_The suit is a mixture of the gold from before and the flaming red that Tony had requested. The computer allows Tony to see how it looks from all angles, from full body to the left side of the helmet._ **

“This is giving me chills.” Peter grinned as he stared at the screen.

He had only seen the MARK III on screen and in real life but never when it was being made. Something about it stirred back his fanboy tendencies but it was drowned out by how cool the technology was - even though he used that technology every week. Either way, he was in awe.

“Right, you’re a fanboy, I forgot,” Tony smirked. “Get a good look, it’s one of my favourite suits.”

“Which was your worst?” Natasha asked.

“The one in the fifties. I tend to compartmentalise it out of my mind so I don’t know the exact number. But I hated that one. I think it was cursed.” Tony shook his head as if he were looking back on the memory of that.

“Wasn’t that the suit that hit you in the -” Peter knew the story but Tony covered his mouth.

“Kid, people are here - don’t make me look bad,” Tony warned him. Peter would like to argue that the movie was doing that job for him. Peter bit his fingers and Tony cradled his hand as he glared at Peter. “You’re not getting any new Lego sets for that.”

**_“Hey, I like it. Fabricate it. Paint it.”_ **

**_“Commencing automated assembly. Estimated completion time is five hours.”_ **

**_“Don’t wait up for me, honey,” Tony tells Jarvis._ **

**_A car is zipping by, leaving every other vehicle in the dust, the sounds of the engine draining out any other sounds. The plate read STARK 4. The car stops by the curb and a man comes quickly to serve him as he gets out of the car in a suit._ **

**_He walks onto the red carpet and many people look shocked to see him. They try and get his eyes but he nods at them as the camera cuts to Obie._ **

**_“Weapons manufacturing is only one small part of what Stark Industries is all about, and our partnership with the fire and rescue community…” Obie says to a reporter, obviously trying to put out the fire Tony had started at the press conference._ **

**_He was cut off by a lot of squeals that the viewer can guess was caused by Tony Stark._ **

**_Tony walks as cameras flash at him and people try to grab his attention. A woman asks if Tony remembers her and Tony rejects the idea, the woman looks offended. But he does pat a man on the back._ **

**_“You look great, Hef,” Tony says, not stopping by to talk as he continues on his stroll._ **

**_The old man turns around with a pipe in his mouth, two women in his arms, and a smug look on his face. He shakes his head at the commotion as he takes the pipe out of his mouth._ **

**_Tony walks up to Obie, “What's the world coming to when a guy's got to crash his own party?” He looks mildly annoyed but mostly amused._ **

**_Obie laughs, “Look at you. Hey, what a surprise.”_ **

**_“I’ll see you inside.” Tony nods at him with a smile._ **

**_Obie grabs his arm to slow Tony down. “Hey. Listen, take it slow, all right? I think I got the board right where we want them.” He says to Tony._ **

**_“You got it. Just cabin fever. I'll just be a minute.” Tony brushes him off._ **

**_“Give me a Scotch. I'm starving.” Tony says to the bartender once he’s inside._ **

**_“Mr. Stark?” A man asks him, getting Tony’s attention._ **

**_“Yeah?”_ **

**_“Agent Coulson.” The man replies._ **

“Weren’t you attached to him?” Clint asked Steve.

“Uhhh.” Steve looked uncomfortable. “I only knew him for a day but I guess.”

He looked like he needed a change of subject so Peter thought of the most stupidest thing he could think of. “Did you know that it’s been proven that oxygen is slowly oxidising your cells, it’s burning you from the inside out.”

“I’ve heard of that.” Shuri grinned at him. “I’ve always wanted to run tests on it but it’s -”

“Not ethical.” T’Challa glared at her.

“Definitely isn’t,” Bruce said and Steve looked relieved. “But it isn’t burning you alive fast enough for it to be a problem.”

“But all those theories were true when you think about it,” Scott said. He then said defensively, “Hey, I had a lot to read when I was on house arrest. Theories were the highlight of my life back then.”

“What other theories do you know?” Bucky asked.

“That you might still be alive but I already know the answer to that,” Scott said, looking at him. “There were theories that Cap might be working for HYDRA.”

“ _ What _ ?” Multiple voices rang out.

“Yeah, I heard that one!” Peter said. “Like, how was it that ice kept him alive? It can preserve bit not keep him alive for that long - it would have killed him. So he must have been in the same thing as Mr. Barnes was in.”

“Is that true?” Bucky asked Steve. Obviously teasing but Steve looked very distressed.

“No, you know it isn’t,” Steve said though he looked like he was rethinking his life.

**_“Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. The guy from the…” Tony struggles for the words. The viewer can’t tell if he actually forgot or couldn’t be bothered to say the whole thing._ **

**_“Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division.” Coulson finishes it off for him._ **

**_“God, you need a new name for that.”_ **

**_“Yeah, I hear that a lot,” Coulson says with a smile. “Listen, I know this must be a trying time for you, but we need to debrief you. There's still a lot of unanswered questions, and time can be a factor with these things. Let's just put something on the books. How about the 24th at 7:00 p.m. at Stark Industries?”_ **

**_Tony doesn’t seem to be paying attention as he is looking at Pepper who is across the room._ **

**_“Tell you what. You got it. You're absolutely right. Well, I'm going to go to my assistant, and we'll make a date.” Tony’s eyes try to focus on Coulson but they keep drifting back into Pepper’s general direction._ **

**_“You look fantastic! I didn't recognize you.” Tony says as he approached Pepper.  
_ ** **_  
_ ** ****_She turns around with a smile, makeup on her face but it’s barely noticeable except for the ruby red lipstick._

**_“What are you doing here?” She asks, more shocked than annoyed._ **

**_“Just avoiding government agents.” He jokes but the shock wears off her face quickly._ **

**_“Are you by yourself?”_ **

**_“Yes. Where'd you get that dress?” He asks, looking at the beautiful dress she’s wearing. It’s a dark shade of blue that works with her skin and he can’t take his eyes away from her face._ **

“Mr. Stark, I love you and all, but you look and sound creepy,” Peter said a little too honestly. Did he really just say 'I love you and all'?

“I have to agree.” Multiple voices agreed with Peter.

“Honestly, I hope I changed on that front, too.” Tony groaned. “The memory of it looks a lot more romantic than what it actually looks like. I look like some creep.”

“Well, I thought it was creepy, romantic, _and_ uncomfortable,” Pepper said. “You know - dancing with my boss.”

“I was all irresponsible back then, I get it. It’s like this movie is just one insult after another.” Tony glared at the screen. “I like to think I’m more responsible.”

“More but not a lot.” Rhodey nodded.

**_“Oh, it was a birthday present.”_ **

**_“That's great.”_ **

**_“From you, actually.”_ **

**_“Well, I got great taste.” A pause. “You - uhh - you wanna dance?”_ **

**_“Oh, no.” She says, all serious._ **

**_He doesn’t waste time to convince her as he takes her hand and leads her to the dance floor, she does not look impressed. She smiles politely and abashedly at people as she’s being led away, her face red._ **

**_Toby brings their bodies close together in a dancing position, both swaying gently to the music in the background._ **

**_“Am I making you uncomfortable?” Tony asks with the most intense eyes anyone has ever seen after Pepper makes a nervous laugh._ **

**_“No. No. I always forget to wear deodorant and dance with my boss, in front of everyone that I work with, in a dress with no back.” Pepper says, sarcasm leaking through into her voice._ **

**_“You look great and you smell great.”_ **

**_“Oh, God.”_ **

**_“But I could fire you if that would take the edge off.” He says casually._ **

**_“I actually don't think that you could tie your shoes without me.” She smiles at him, sickly sweet._ **

**_“I'd make it a week. Sure.”_ **

**_“Really?” She asks. “What's your Social Security number?”_ **

**_Tony takes a couple of seconds to think of an answer as Pepper looks mildly smug._ **

**_“Five.”_ **

**_“Five?” She echoes. “Right.”_ **

**_“Right.” Tony echoes back._ **

**_“You're missing just a couple of digits there.” She lets out a breathy laugh._ **

**_“The other eight? So I got you for the other eight.” He says it like it’s nothing._ **

**_Tony and Pepper silently stare at each other for a few moments before they both break eye contact, Pepper looks down and Tony turns his head to the left, before they continue to look at each other._ **

**_Most of the tension has left Pepper’s body by now but she’s still rigid and looking around the room as if she thinks someone would mock her or call her out on dancing with her both._ **

**_“How about a little air?” Tony asks, noticing her discomfort._ **

**_“Yes, I need some air.” She lets out._ **

“I might be getting this all wrong - but why were you uncomfortable?” Steve asked. “I’m a little out of times and am getting a lot of shocks at the moment so I can’t really think right.”

“Well,” Pepper thought about it. “You all know about Tony’s track record.”

“He was a womaniser.” Peter grinned and Rhodey groaned.

“Playboy.” Tony corrected.

“Well, imagine how that would look for me,” Pepper said. “Everyone else would think I got a job with him just to get in his pants.”

“It’s already hard enough for girls to get jobs,” Natasha added. “It would have been even worse for her because of this.”

“Even our fair kingdom gets those problems.” Shuri nodded.

“Some people thought Okoye was trying to gain the favour of the crown but she was just wanting to do her duty,” T’Challa explained sagely.

“Women get a lot of flack for things like that.” Peter nodded. “At my school, people thought MJ was trying to be my friend to get to Mr. Stark.”

“You never told me that.” Tony furrowed his eyebrows.

“I didn’t want to bother you and MJ handled the situation pretty well.” Peter gave him some reassurance.

“That sounds really stressful,” Gamora said. “I never really had that problem since I was made into this - this - this famous thing.” Peter knew ‘famous’ was a cover-up. “I’m usually the one that has to see if people are doing all of that to me. But - Terra sounds really bad to women.”

“Always have been,” Peter said. “There are records showing women slaves are way more stronger than modern-day wrestlers.”

“I don’t know what that is but it sounds bad,” Quill said. “I was just alive for a couple of years on Terra before being taken. So I didn’t know this was all happening.”

“I am Groot.”

“He says Terra should blow up and deep throat a -” Rocket began to translate with a smug smile.

“There are young ears here!” Mantis whispered. She looked at the humans. “If I were a human, how easy would it be for me to get a job?”

“Well - it’s hard to get taken very seriously when you’re a _young_ woman, especially back then. You’re exactly what employers don’t want.” Pepper cleared her throat.

“No offence, people don’t really want the naive type,” Scott said. “I’ve signed up for a lot of jobs and seen a lot of people like you around - sorry, but our planet does sound really bad.”

“Terra sounds really bad.” Drax nodded sagely. “Are there any changes happening?”

“Yes but very slowly.” Clint scowled.

“Imagine there are a million problems and no one knows which problem to work on first so nothing’s getting fixed,” Wanda said after a moment.

“Couldn’t have put it better myself.” Vision gave her a warm smile.

"Look, I won't do that again. One, because you're the CEO and two, I've changed?" Tony tried and Pepper just gave him a fond look.

**_She clears her throat as she walks out with Tony, the camera briefly cuts to show Coulson looking over them before cutting to them standing on a balcony._ **

**_“That was totally weird,” Pepper says, to Tony or to herself._ **

**_“Totally harmless.”_ **

**_“It was totally_ ** **not** **_harmless, by the way.” An edge growing in her voice._ **

**_“We were dancing. No one was even watching.”_ **

**_“Everybody who I work with…” Pepper continues on, ignoring what he had said. “No, you know why?”_ **

**_“I think you lost objectivity,” Tony said confidently. “I think they just... People... We just danced.” He said the last bit quickly as a way to cover up his struggle for words._ **

**_“No, it was not just a_ ** **dance** **_. You don't understand because you're_ ** **you** **_. And everybody knows exactly who you_ ** **are** **_and how you are with girls and all of that, which is completely fine. But, you know, then_ ** **me** **_, you're my boss, and I'm dancing with_ ** **you** **_.” Pepper says as if she’s been dying to say all of this._ **

**_“I don't think it was taken that way,” Tony says, quiet and defensive._ **

**_“Because it makes me look like the one who's trying to…” Pepper says desperately._ **

**_“I just think you're overstating it.”_ **

**_Ignored once again, “You know, and we're here, and then I'm wearing this ridiculous dress, and then we were dancing like that and…”_ **

**_She looks at Tony who hasn’t looked away very much from her since they arrived on the balcony. Her eyes searches his face before she leans forward, grabbing the sleeves of his suit to give her leverage, as she brings their faces closer together. It isn’t until she leans back a bit to look at his face does it dawn on her what she had attempted to do._ **

**_“I would like a drink, please.” She looks like she hasn’t breathed yet._ **

**_“Got it.” He says to her as she closes her eyes in stress._ **

**_He walks off the balcony, finally giving Pepper the chance to breathe. She stares off after him, jaw slack and face dusted red._ **

**_“I would like a vodka martini, please.”_ **

**_“Okay.” Tony’s voice sounds a little off in the distance._ **

**_“Very dry with olives - a lot of olives. Like, at least three olives.”_ **

“See that? That’s how your parents met.” Clint said to Peter.

“My parents would have been dead around that time so I doubt it,” Peter said, a little confused.

“What?” Clint furrowed his brows. “Who are you thinking about? I’m talking about those two.” He pointed at Tony and Pepper.

Tony, Pepper, and Peter all showed off their own embarrassment in their own unique ways - Peter stammered something and he didn’t know what he was trying to say, Pepper tried to avoid everyone’s eyes, and Tony just joked on his popcorn with wide eyes.

Rhodey laughed at them, as he rubbed Tony’s back to help him through the choking.

“You still think he’s our -” Tony choked.

“Well, we know he’s your kid but we don’t know how Pepper comes into it. Maybe you had Peter and Pepper just agreed to go along with it when you started dating.” Sam shrugged.

The sad thing was - it all sounded so okay.

However, Peter was still speechless. As he looked around the room, so many people looked confused at their outburst as if they also believed they were a family unit. Peter didn’t think they were that obvious - or that he was that obvious.

Mr. Stark was obviously humouring him, who wouldn’t? Peter was just a kid from Queens who just happened to be his protege and in need of a male figure in his life. Tony probably didn’t intend for Peter to think of him as a father as their relationship was just meant to be a mentor-mentee thing.

Also, Pepper?

Peter didn’t know what she thought of him - maybe he was just that kid that Tony took pity on in her eyes - but Peter did like to think of her as his third mother but - but - the shock and embarrassment wouldn’t let Peter think right.

“What can I say? You’re like an open book.” Shuri grinned.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the REALLY late update. Remember those chapters ago when I said I was having something bad going on? It still is. But I decided to do this since I thought it would be fun.
> 
> GCSE results are coming out this week Thursday and I'm SHOOKETH! I can't tell if I'm excited or nervous but whatever, you know?
> 
> I had to change the Norse mythology to fit in with the MCU since they changed it. So I had to be all 'your planet doesn't know us' kind of thing since it was never addressed, you know?
> 
> I really like the Norse gods - tied first with Greek and Hinduism - so what's your favourite gods or stories from those religions? My favourite god would have to be Athena, I don't know why. I just understand her on a spiritual level.


End file.
